Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 551 to 575 of 1138 results

John 10:1-10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... detours or shortcuts. There is one, and only one, way to find life and that is through Jesus, the gatekeeper. Today's society presents us with many choices and possibilities that only seem to grow more numerous with time and the "advance" of culture. They say that "variety is the spice of life" and I suspect it is true. Yet, the many choices that stand before us can be confusing. We need to learn how to wisely use the gift of free will, our ability to choose. This gift, if used constructively, can provide ...

552. Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired?

Matthew 9:35-10:8

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... the roof. They cried out as lepers. "Lord, heal me!" They sought to touch the hemline of his garment. And to the many that Jesus healed, he said, "Go your way. Your faith has made you well." What Do The Elders Do? So far we've discerned four varieties of illness and seen how it is the responsibility of the sick to exercise faith, to take the initiative and call out for mature assistance. Now the text explains the elders' roll. It instructs, "Let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the ...

553. The Incomparable Christ

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... of quality. Jesus Christ, however, can be verified in all four areas and to the highest levels of quality. As James 3:17 teaches, "The wisdom from above (Christ) is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason...." Consider: 1. Experience: All varieties of people on every continent have experienced Jesus Christ for 2,000 years. 2. Reason: Jesus and his Bible are the most scrutinized of all. There has been more debate, writing, thinking, and teaching about him than any other. Christian apologetics is ...

554. A Life Well Lived

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

King Duncan

... way is hard that leads to life and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13) A man attended a workshop for families of young people with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome is a congenital condition that can affect those born with it in a variety of ways--both physically and mentally. These young people can be quite loving and a joy to be around. Many parents of children with this condition consider themselves blessed. Still, the nature of their condition requires a lifetime of special attention. It is not easy ...

555. Christmasize Your Life

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of careful horticulture, a conscious forest management project. Instead of the usual messy forest floor, a humus-heaped mat of decaying vegetation, molds, mushrooms, ferns, broken branches, and the fallen trunks of old dead trees - this human-maintained field of trees had no variety, no staggered levels of growth and development to add depth to its existence. In spring and summer it was green and lush. In fall and winter it was brown and bare. Would that life were so neat and tidy. Would that life weren ...

556. Trapped in Paradise

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... plans, emergency or otherwise, are suddenly faced with unanticipated consequences or unforeseen difficulties. For such fools who depend upon and defend such foolproof plans, these unexpected incidents become pitfalls. But for those who focus less on the plan than on being prepared for a variety of scenarios, it's far easier to find a new way, to think in a new direction, to look for and find new solutions. Canned plans only work as long as everyone has their own can opener, and as long as there are enough ...

557. Redundant Love

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... The World." " God created the universe and said "It is good." But with the image of the rainbow, God's promise to all creation is visual as well as verbal. " " God gave the Law to the people of Israel, not once, but twice! " " Look at the number and variety of prophets God sent to humanity, to teach and preach God's love, God's grace, God's presence--and that's just in the First Testament. " Talk about redundancy: Why do we have two creation accounts (Genesis 1, Genesis 2)? Why do we have four gospels--four ...

558. Don't Fit In, Fit Together

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and centered, lips curved at precisely the same angle--all led to the conclusion that the face was beautiful. The exactness with which the two halves of a face fit together is the basic human standard for beauty. Of course within that standard the varieties of features are almost infinite. Yet the most remarkable fitting together that our body does isn't even visible to us with simple observation. We can't see how perfectly the heart and the lungs work together to oxygenate and circulate our life blood ...

559. God Will Take Care of You

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , but the simple, unadorned deliciousness of summer-fresh foods makes it an entirely different kind of meal-time experience. There's considerably less emphasis on the cook's creativity than there is on our thankfulness for the Creator's gracious bounty and variety. Simple food is often the most satisfying and the most life sustaining. It's hard for us to understand, with our supermarkets filled with foodstuffs from all over the world, with a vast selection of meats and produce always available, with dairy ...

560. Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... that's contagious and infectious. But there are also charismatic concepts as well as individuals. And these are three of Christianity's most charismatic themes. T. S. Eliot once said that each person has only a couple of themes that are played out in a variety of ways over a lifetime. He also argued each one of us must identify what those themes of our lives are, develop those themes, and evangelize those themes. This morning we come face to face with three of Christianity's most charismatic themes. I love ...

561. Tell You the Truth

John 14:5-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... so-called "farewell discourse" encapsulates great themes and motifs that run throughout Jesus' entire ministry. In 14:12 Jesus utters what biblical scholars identify as one of his favorite verbal tics or traits - a phrase he repeats over and over again. In a wide variety of situations, to all sorts of audiences, Jesus telegraphs the importance of what follows with this identifying phrase: "I tell you the truth." It was almost as if Jesus couldn't tell a parable or start a story without saying, "I tell you ...

562. But Wait! There's More!

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... . The name reflected the incredible impact this one man had on his fellow countrymen. Stace grew up in desperate circumstances, the son of alcoholics who left him to fend for himself. He rarely went to school, stole to support himself, worked in a variety of criminal businesses, became addicted to alcohol, and lived on the streets. But in 1930, Arthur Stace heard the message of Jesus Christ and turned his life over to his Savior. Inspired by an evangelist’s message on eternity, Stace began writing the ...

563. A Brand New Church Out of an Old Brand

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , some mock label, some counterfeit trademark. Didn't they? Alternative Ending: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered form the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (1 Timothy 6:6-10). Body piercings come in a variety of shapes and forms. "See, I have branded you on the palm of my hands," the Bible says (Isaiah 49:16). God carved YOUR name in the palm of Jesus' hand. Are you wearing the Jesus brand?

564. A Sourdough Sprirituality

Matthew 13:31-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... so he only feeds it distilled water and flour. "The bread is only as good as the starter you use," he argues. And Al knows just what his starter needs by smelling this gurgling, burbling cauldron of bacteria and fungi. From this starter, Al creates a variety of delicious sourdough breads, rolls, pancakes and waffles. In fact, some of the loaves look like this. (Pick out of the bag one size and color loaf.) Others look like this. (Pick out another one and toss it into the congregation. Keep doing this until ...

565. Addiction Free

Psalm 30:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a self-calming mechanism, a kind of self-medication. Sucking his thumb has been a comforting activity, a reliable constant. Without it he is even more disturbed by the ever-sharpening environment in which he finds himself. Egil's not alone. Addictions of every variety and vintage are the hallmark of twenty-first century culture. We live in a culture of "prodigality and plethora," says literary critic George Steiner of the University of Cambridge. We live in an excess of excesses. And we love it. · We are ...

566. An Uncomfortable Comforter

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 's death, Sir Walter Scott was one of the first novelists to use it this new way when he wrote, 'Let it freeze without, we are comfortable within.' Later meanings of the word were almost exclusively concerned with contentment, often of a thermal variety: 'comforter' in secular Victorian England no longer referred to the Redeemer, but to a long woolen scarf; today it describes a quilted bed coverlet." (Witold Rybczynski, Home: A Short History of an Idea [New York: Penguin Books, 1986], 20.) [If you can find ...

567. Dolphin Drops

Isaiah 56:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of mishpat (justice) and tzedekah (righteousness) remain straight and unshaken at the center of their being. John Moriarty is one of Ireland's leading scholars of Celtic spirituality and folklore. Moriarty tells a parable that is found in various forms in a variety of cultures. In the Celtic version a collector of shellfish finds himself marooned for the night on a rock. When the tide came in, dolphins gathered at the rock in the darkness and, shedding their skins, revealed themselves as beautiful human ...

568. Thanks for Nothing!

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Not Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving refuses to change. Know anyone serving spaghetti and meatballs for Thanksgiving dinner? A Greek salad instead of sweet potatoes? A Caesar salad instead of cranberry relish? Have you heard the George Carlin routine? "At our house we like variety, so we don't have turkey every year. Last year we had a swan. It was nice; everyone got some neck." In spite of the Carlin family swan, Thanksgiving is the most unrepentantly traditional of all our holidays. Thanksgiving has also ...

569. Experience the Mystery

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... our needs were met. Please, please, please, the salesman repeatedly implored us, DON'T throw it away. DO fill it out favorably. What else can we do for you to make sure you give us a perfect score? It seems that car dealership get the numbers, varieties, and best selections of vehicles based on how well they rate on these customer surveys. It's in their best interest, therefore, to do everything they can to make buyers feel that they are among "friends," that the car salesperson is someone they have truly ...

570. Kudzu Frittata

James 3:13-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... The result is kudzu, disorder and wickedness of every kind, the over-kill that attends over-life. Greg Morris tells this story to help us come to terms with the need for balance in our life and ministries: Ellen Lombard of Fairmont, New York, manufactures four varieties of horseradish: Hot, X Hot, XXX Hot, and Too Darn Hot. She accidentally spilled a quart and a half bottle of her secret spice ingredient in her basement. She plugged in a fan to try to air out the room but the overwhelming vapors forced her ...

571. Saved by the Bell

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... buried alive to come back to life. Bells, flags, and later on, electric lights. In 1791 they even started a "Waiting Mortuary." The deceased was placed on zinc trenches and hooked up to an intricate system of cords and pulleys that were attached to a variety of body parts. Any movement of any part of the body would cause the bells to ring. Alas, the bells were constantly ringing because of body-gases, contractions, etc. But after two weeks, if no one came back to life, the bodies were officially declared ...

572. The CatWalk Church and the CrossLove Church

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... doesn't live and move in lockstep precision does not mean that chaos reigns. Ecologists and niche-biologists are only just beginning to hear the loudest and most persistent of the unifying rhythms that keep the symphony of creation moving according to a variety of tempos. God's creations may be myriad and multi-formed. But there is one Spirit that keeps all attuned to a common divine cadence. When Jesus chose his own disciples he broke with the lockstep pattern traditional in teacher/student relationships ...

573. The Monsters We Are All Afraid Of

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Jack Paar once said about Steve Allen: "I'm fond of him – but not so much as he is." Someone overheard a conversation that went like this: "Well, enough about me. Let's talk about you. What do you think about me?" There are at least ten varieties of monster egoboos. Each monster egoboo resides in every one of us, lurking to come out and go on an ego trip, the ultimate journey to nowhere. (With apologies to Yale Professor Harold J. Morowitz for mangling his categories in Ego Niches: An Ecological View of ...

574. The Good Life vs. The God Life

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... for kiddie lunch-box-friendly foods. (I use the term "food" very loosely here.) Mini-carrots, mini-tomatoes, individually-wrapped cheeses, chips in tiny packages, pint-sized yogurt drinks, juice boxes, and don't-you-dare-forget-them fruit snacks in an unbelievable variety of shapes, cost about the same per pound as exotic, out-of-season fruits and the best cuts of meat or freshest seafoods. [You can have some fun here and demonstrate exactly what you're talking about with items you mentioned priced and ...

575. Keep Going, Today, Tomorrow and the Next

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... everyone had forgotten what good tigers do - good tigers hunt, pounce, bite, shred, kill. That's the essence of its tiger-ness: it's a master killing machine. That's the reality Siegfried & Roy forgot and failed to take seriously. We all exist with a variety of illusions. We all cling to small deceptions, little fudges and fictions that help us get through our lives. Self-deception is a major capacity of the human brain. I call them brain bluffs. The greatest bluffs are those you believe yourself: No, those ...

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