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Showing 551 to 575 of 975 results

551. I Am No Longer My Own

Mark 8:31-38; Rom 7:7-25

Illustration

Philip W. McLarty

... thou wilt, put me to doing, put me to suffering, let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal." As disciples of Jesus Christ, we'd do well to pray with Wesley and be reminded that we're not free to follow the dictates of our own sinful nature; we're free to surrender our wills to the will of God and ...

552. Easter 5

Acts 8:26-40, 1 John 4:7-21, John 15:1-17

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... is not less but more of prayer, meditation and worship that we need. 3. Fruit (v. 8). The word "fruit" is repeated many times in this pericope. It is the key word because a vine and branch do not exist for the sake of existing. They have a purpose: to yield fruit. The vine needs the branches and the branches must be one with the vine. Only when they are together does the fruit result. What is this fruit? It is what the vine offers through the branches the fruit of his being, his Spirit. It is the fruit of ...

553. Epiphany 8

Mark 2:18-22, 2 Corinthians 2:12--3:6, Psalm 103:1-22, Hosea 2:2-23

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... in commemoration of Good Friday while the Jews fasted on Monday and Thursdays. The old must give way to the new. Jesus brings a new covenant, a new era, a new way of life based not on the law, but on the Spirit. Old Judaistic customs must yield to the new era. The new patch of Christ cannot be sewed on the old garment of Judaism. The new wine of Christ calls for new wineskins. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS Gospel: Mark 2:13-22 1. Fasting (vv. 18-20). For many Protestants, fasting is an unknown quantity. Yet ...

554. Devout of this World

John 20:19-23

Illustration

Elizabeth Gilbert

The devout of this world perform their rituals without guarantee that anything good will ever come of it. Of course there are plenty of scriptures and plenty of priests who make plenty of promises as to what your good works will yield (or threats as to the punishments awaiting you if you lapse), but to even believe all this is an act of faith, because nobody amongst us is shown the endgame. Devotion is diligence without assurance. Faith is a way of saying, 'Yes, I pre-accept the terms of the universe ...

555. Trust and Obey

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... s take “obey” first. See if this helps. Latin word oboedire (“to obey”) is cognate to the word obaudire (“to listen) for a reason. The Latin root of the English word “obedience” is “obaudire,” the first definition of which is not “yield obedience” or “be subject to” but actually “to give ear, hearken, listen.” To be “obedient” at root means “to listen deeply” (hence audire, “to hear”). This is why the Rule of St. Benedict opens, “Listen, carefully, my son, to the ...

556. Proper 26

Mark 12:28-34, Psalm 146:1-10, Ruth 1:1-22, Hebrews 9:11-28

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... Son. Amen PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING Who can number the bounties of your goodness, Lord? You give us lands overflowing with milk and honey and seas alive with fish and growing things. Our skies shine with beauty and with power. The depths of the earth yield metals and energy sources in great variety. Our homes are visited by friends, and our neighbors help us in times of need. We have opportunities to learn together, to worship together, and to serve the common good together. We worship you with thankful hearts ...

557. Second Sunday of Advent

Mark 1:1-8, Psalm 85:1-13, Isaiah 40:1-31, 2 Peter 3:1-18

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... gathered his flock into the church. For past deliverance, for present comfort, for future promise we give you thanks, faithful God. Amen PRAYER OF DEDICATION We worship you, loving and faithful Lord, by the presentation of these tokens of our prosperity and the yield of our work. Use us and our offerings to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION AND COMMEMORATION Comfort your people, O God, not only in Jerusalem, torn with racial and religious tensions, but inner cities of the world ...

558. Lent 1

Deuteronomy 26:1-15, Psalm 91:1-16, Luke 4:1-13, Romans 10:8b-13

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... overwhelmed by the false and deceitful, that we may not be separated from the light of the world in your Son Jesus Christ, nor acknowledge any anti-Christ. Grant salvation to those who have long known but little heeded the sound of the gospel, that finally yielding to your loving grace they may find forgiveness with you and the spirit to forgive others. Expand the vision of all your servants. Grant certainty to those who waver in their faith, and loyalty to those who are not fully committed to serve you. So ...

559. Today's Man

Mark 6:30-34,53-56

Illustration

Richard Exley

... and spiritual development, and time to exercise. No wonder he's tempted to throw up his hands in despair! Is there a solution, a way out? I think so, but it won't be easy. Busyness is addictive and its hard to regain command of our life once we've yielded it to the expectations of others. The key is control. Are we going to be governed by external pressures the desires of others or will we allow the internal witness of the Holy Spirit to set our agendas?

560. Proper 14

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28, Psalm 106:1-48, Matthew 14:22-36, Romans 10:5-15

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... discern your voice and identify your directions for us to take. We rejoice with apostles and prophets and all faithful people who praise your goodness and follow you in the way of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen PRAYER OF DEDICATION From the yields of the harvest and from the fruits of our labors, we bring you, supreme God, these offerings. Receive these signs of our fidelity in response to the measure of prosperity you have permitted us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen PRAYER OF INTERCESSION ...

561. Lent 2

Genesis 12:1-8, Psalm 121:1-8, John 3:1-17, Romans 4:1-25

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... our global village. Compassionate Christ, comfort your children who are faint from the struggle with the ailments and adversities of our mortal life. Speak tenderly to those who mourn. Grant to all your people the wisdom from above, which is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy, so that your church may provide a welcome haven for all who need to find your love. God of the ages, Source of all life, we bless you for all your true ...

562. You Are What You Eat

John 6:51-58

Illustration

Brian Harner

... his food. The command to eat of the food of this world in the creation account is second only to God's command to multiply and to have dominion over creation: "Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed...and every tree, which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat...." Man must eat in order to live. He will take the world into his body and transform it into himself. Yes, he is what he eats; and the whole world is one large banquet for mankind, minus the forbidden tree in the ...

563. Israel: The World’s Invincible Nation

Jeremiah 23:2, 7-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... is one of only six nations that produces enough food to feed itself and to feed others. Just fifty years ago the beautiful valley of Armageddon, that many of you have seen with me, was a mosquito-infested swamp. But now it is a fertile valley that yields four different crops a year. In the last 35 years over 100 million trees have been planted on barren hills and desert soil. Another thing has happened. The law has been re-instituted. Even though God-fearing Orthodox Jews only make up 5% of the population ...

564. When I Am Tempted

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... about took place after the forty days, Jesus actually had to face the withering temptation of Satan, every day for forty days. So many people confuse temptation with sin. It is not a sin to be tempted. It is not abnormal to be tempted. It is a sin to yield to temptation. Jesus was not just tempted as the Son of God, Jesus was tempted as the Son of Man. God doesn't get hungry; man gets hungry. God cannot be tempted, because He has everything. Only man can be tempted. It was in His humanity that Jesus Christ ...

565. Minority Report

Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23

Sermon

James Merritt

... me out." That is exactly the kind of heart that I am talking about; a heart that was strangled by the prosperities and the pleasures of this world, and the spiritual life was choked out. IV. Surrendered Hearts Reproduce The Word "But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." (v.8) Now Jesus here talks about a soil that is fertile and a soil that is fruitful. Now what kind of heart is this? "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the ...

566. I’m Movin’ On

Philippians 3:12-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... lady who was very nervous driving in traffic. She was waiting for a traffic jam to clear and she came to a stop on an expressway ramp. The traffic thinned out, but the lady was still too afraid to move. Finally, the man behind her yelled, "Lady, the sign says, "Yield, not give up." What I have been trying to tell you today is this: Because of the grace of God and the mercy of God and the forgiveness of God, it doesn't matter where you've been. What matters is where you are, where you're headed, and are ...

567. History Hangs in the Balance

Luke 23:1-49

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... . It certainly seems he is guided by a sense of justice and fairness. We are close to admiration and begin to wonder if he is an innocent party himself, caught in a web of power politics with a strong, religious overtone. Well, he does disappoint us and yields to the political realities at hand. A man in his position cannot allow substantial unrest in the area assigned to him by Caesar. When it comes to preserving number one and a place of power, we know who and what almost always wins. The power structure ...

568. Call to Oneness

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... upon us — if it is a means for your will to be done. Call down fire from heaven — if this is the only phenomenon for your ways to prevail. Please, teach us to seize each and every opportunity to make for better spiritual relationships among us. We yield ourselves not out of exhaustion and despair, but because we seek to do right and to be right. Reassure us of your ongoing and undying love. We celebrate your holy presence among us! The Father and the Son convey love with no beginning or ending. Even to ...

569. Jesus Brings Hope

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... breeze was a crop of wheat. The fact that the IGW had never discovered the plot was a minor miracle. White hurriedly harvested his crop, pounded the grain, and formed it. Using the stubble of the wheat, he built a fire and baked the wheat. The yield was two small wafers. He took his prize home to await his day. Several weeks later, early one morning, White arose. He gathered his precious wafers and pulled out a box that had remained undetected by the IGW officials. Gathering his things he made his way ...

570. Itchy Ears

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... can speak the truth we know, in vital ways. Other people don't have to agree with us. As long as we agree with God and practice that presence, all will be fine. The armor of Christ is not a bulletproof vest! It is a form of great vulnerability that yields even greater strength. Our ears begin to itch and we realize that we are all in this together, not just the good and not just the bad. All and each have fallen short of the glory of God. We know we are in the middle and the muddle of disappointing ...

571. Do Not Be Quickly Shaken

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... There is inevitable tension in our ministries and beyond. The way we handle that tension is what makes or breaks us. When we are glad for the arrival of conflict, we show that we know how to be "not quickly shaken." We expect conflict. We know its cross-yielding capacities. We welcome conflict and stress. We do not whore after stability. It is a false God for ministers, congregations, and in life. I took my new dog on a walk. He had come to us in Massachusetts from Miami and had never seen snow, never seen ...

572. Weary in Well Doing

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... can't practice, and if we don't want to walk around in the dark anymore, perhaps what we need to do is work on our sense of urgency. Like a great ball player, we may have to learn to want to win the game again. We may have to yield the shields that protect us from hope — and hope again. Let them go! Being lit is magnificent. It is the antidote to weariness. Getting beyond weariness in well doing is often a matter of catching the right bug and eliminating the wrong ones. At both the conscious and the ...

573. Like a Tree Planted

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... can we find encouragement and revitalization when we feel that our energy is being sapped from us? By entrusting our lives to God. Like a tree planted by the waters, we can be nourished from underground streams of living water. Our lives can yield fruit, and our foliage is ever green and healthy. Jeremiah may have associated himself with the weeping willow since he is referred to as the "Weeping Prophet." American artist, John Singer Sargent's, Frieze of the Prophets depicts several prophets in the moment ...

574. God's Eminent Domain

Jeremiah 18:1-11

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... not our culture chooses to acknowledge it, God is Lord of all creation and ultimately our human destiny is in God's hands alone. It's a good thing. Left to our own schemes we know the mess we can make. We can either deny this reality or we can yield to the Potter's hand. We can continue our futile efforts at self-domination, which can only end in brokenness and ruin, or we can work within God's eminent domain and experience the joy and peace of being who God envisioned us to be. "Am I not free to ...

575. Good News for Widows

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... young in the use of his money including giving his money to good causes. That’s a lesson in itself. But think what a difference his small gift made in the life of a struggling young seminarian. He couldn’t have known, of course, that his egg money would yield such influence—anymore than the widow could know that we would be telling her story two thousand years later, but that’s the way things work in the Kingdom of God. A little goes a long way. This widow made God first in her life. She knew that ...

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