Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 576 to 600 of 1249 results

576. Who Are You Trying To Impress?

Galatians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... her employer at some time or another? Or perhaps it's your friends. Impressing friends is always important. At any age. Many parents have forgotten how important it is in the teen years. We want desperately to fit in. Sometimes that leads us to adopt some rather bizarre fashion and behavior. I was amused to read a quote that appeared in the Houston Post recently. They were quoting University of Houston football player Torrin Polk. He was discussing his coach John Jenkins: "He treats us like men," says Polk ...

577. Facing Up To The Giant Task Of Life

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... it would go away." What is impossible with humans is possible with God. I often have the feeling in many mainline churches that most of its members and clergy don't really believe Jesus when he speaks of the power of faith. We hedge. We try to qualify everything. We adopt a committee to see if it is achievable. Far too often we say, "It simply can't be done." We suffer too much from the "we can't do anything" syndrome. We must learn to sing, "Have thing own way, Lord, have thine own way." I don't know if ...

578. With Your Head In The Clouds

Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... you're willing to work at it hard enough. Using the code A=100, B=101, and so on, Hitler adds up to 666, Swindoll notes. The same technique works on the word computer. ” a coincidence to which some of us might attach some validity. By adopting the so-called "devil's code" (a favorite ploy of numerologists, whereby the alphabet is numbered backward from zero; Z=0, Y=1, X=2 . . . ) and multiplying each letter-value by 6 (whew!), fundamentalist leader Jerry Falwell's last name equals 666. Even Billy Graham's ...

579. The Testimony of a Tax Collector

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

It was a simple statement but still it hurt. "SEE, this man eats with sinners and tax collectors." They hurt because I was one of those tax-collectors. Tax collectors are never popular. "Adopt a flat tax," said Steve Forbes in the primary campaigns, "and dismantle the Internal Revenue Service." "I'm proud to be paying taxes in the United States," said Arthur Godfrey. "The only thing is ” I could be just as proud for half the money." "President Clinton says he looks forward ...

580. Family Resemblance

1 John 2:28--3:10

Sermon

King Duncan

... had affected the boy and that time would heal the wound, but the grades only became worse. Finally, the boy confessed the real problem. While he was home, he happened to look into his grandmother's old Bible, and there he discovered in the family record that he was an adopted son. "I don't know who I belong to," he told his counselor. "I don't know where I came from!" (6) We can sympathize with that young man, but the truth of the matter is that it doesn't matter who our earthly parents are as long as we ...

581. Washing Away The Junk

Luke 3:21-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... found in Psalm 2:7, "He said to me, ˜You are my son, today I have begotten you . . . ˜" words that God would use toward a king when he came into power. According to the Code of Hammurabi, these are also the words one would use in legally adopting a child. This baptism by water and the Spirit marked the beginning of Jesus' ministry, revealed his identity to those who witnessed it, and deepened the faith of many of the witnesses. LET'S CONSIDER, FOR A MOMENT CHRIST'S IDENTITY AND WHAT IT MEANS TO US. Ted ...

582. Answers To Life's Three Critical Questions

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... ." Unknown's wife is Ratchanee Unknown, and his son is Nick Unknown. (1) This world is filled with people who think they are unknown. An American couple founded a business in Portobelo, Panama. Then they wrote a book to publicize interest in their adopted home. On its dedication page this book tells us that in the olden days ships sailing to and from the Indies carried a passenger list with the names written down according to the social pecking order: Royalty and Crown officials at the top, acknowledging ...

583. Do You Have The Glory?

John 17:20-26

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... your family as a little tiny baby. Most of you have birth certificates that state that you were born at a certain time and place, and it has your name on it and the names of your parents. Another way that we can get into a family is to be adopted into it. We may have been born into another family, but our parents chose us to come live with them. (This is represented by the baby bottle.) Another way that we get into a family is to marry into it. When you grow up and get married, then you will ...

584. Freedom Song

Galatians 6:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... cow. He carried the threeyearold on his back. The baby in his arms weighed almost nothing at all. By now they were skeletons, all of them. But they went on, until one day they staggered into the house where the doctor lived with his wife. These kind people adopted the children and nursed them back to health. (2) What does it mean to be an American? It means that others have given of their life's blood to forge out this free land. We dare not take their sacrifices for granted. Let's think for a moment ...

585. On Being Picked For The "Rework"

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15

Sermon

King Duncan

... says that the pieces were selected for REWORK, "as it seemed good to the potter." It is this vital feature of the parable that Christians have latched on to as they have assimilated this Old Testament parable into New Testament Christian culture. As we shall see, Paul adopted it in this way in Romans 9, and that set the stage for the Christian emphasis on God's care and power over our lives. For example, a wellknown hymn by Adelaide Pollard in 1907, goes like this: Have Thine Own Way, Lord! Have Thine Own ...

586. Man, Give Me Some Bread: I Want To Make Sense Out Of My Life

John 6:25-59

Sermon

King Duncan

... didn't notice when he'd entered a room. To make sure they knew Polk was there, his wife Sarah arranged for the Marine band to play this old Scottish anthem which we know as "Hail to the Chief" whenever he walked through the door. It was immediately adopted as a tradition, and all presidents have honored it since.(5) There are hymns we sing that are important because they remind us that greater than any president and more exalted than any monarch is the King of Kings, Jesus Christ our Lord. He is the bread ...

587. Trees

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

King Duncan

... , shook it off, and slowly started climbing up the tree once again. Two robins sitting in their nest watched the little turtle's pitiful efforts. Finally, the female robin turned to the male and said, "I don't care what you say, I'm going to tell him he's adopted." (3) It's a bad joke, I know, but the little turtle thought he was a robin. Nothing is sadder or more ineffective than a turtle or a person who doesn't know who he or she is. In John's First Epistle we discover who we are: "Beloved, now ...

588. Building a Nation

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... it's been co-opted by the fanatic fringe? To be "patriotic" is not to be blind to our nation's sins. Like every nation, we have our weak points. A family of refugees was very favorably impressed with America--especially the six-year-old daughter who rapidly adopted the view that everything American was not only the best, but also perfect. One day a neighbor told her she was going to have a baby, so little Mary marched home and demanded to know why she couldn't have a little baby too. Her mother decided to ...

589. Like Everest Without Oxygen And Wimbledon Without A Racquet

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... in the ditch. And Christ has come to us and rescued us. And now we are charged with passing that act of grace and kindness on to others. When we understand that, then we will be ready to become the Good Samaritan. Then we will be ready to adopt the "what is mine is yours" philosophy. This story tells us that there are no limits as to who is our neighbor. In the family of God, the human family, there are no fences, only friendly backyards where folks talk to each other and have barbecues on Sunday nights ...

590. The Gates of Hell

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... will go to hell. In fact, while the majority of Americans believe in heaven and eventually expect to end up there, studies show most people today do not believe in hell. It reminds me of a P. D. James' story. A young woman discovers that she was adopted. Almost immediately, she begins looking for her biological mother and father. She is stunned to discover that as a baby she had been taken from her parents when they were sent to prison for the murder of a ten-year-old girl. Although the father subsequently ...

591. A Devastating Storm, An Incredible Promise

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Brett Blair

... resistant. There was only one problem with the helmets. When they were near heat, they melted. That's what a fire fighter needs, isn't it? A helmet that melts when near heat. There are philosophies that you can embrace, there are religions that you can adopt, there are gurus you can follow, but what happens when you get thrown into the fire? Do they provide help when you are tempted, comfort when you are hurting, strength when you feel you can't carry on? Those who follow Christ know only he can provide ...

592. Easter In November

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... , writes: "Warren's exploits were always based on numbers, which he trusted above all else. In contrast, he did not subscribe to his family's religion. Even at a young age, he was too mathematical, and too logical, to make the leap of faith. He adopted his father's ethical underpinnings, but not his belief in an unseen divinity." And thus Warren Buffet, one of the most successful men in the world, is stricken with one terrifying fear--the fear of dying. On a lighter note, Buffett once said, "What I ...

593. Setting An Example

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... exam that would grant him a high school diploma. It was hard work, but eventually Dave took the test and passed. Now he had a high-school diploma. Someone at Coconut Creek High School in Florida heard of Dave's effort, and so the student body decided to adopt him. They invited Dave and his wife, Lorraine, to their prom, where they crowned them King and Queen of the event. The students and faculty wanted to honor Dave for going back and taking care of business. (3) I believe most of us can admire that in ...

594. Inexpressible Joy

1 Peter 1:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... . In his autobiography, Bernard Kerik talks about the rocky road that led him into police work. He dropped out of high school, then entered his chosen profession. He worked his way up to the top of the organization. In the meantime, Kerik--who was adopted--began searching for his birth mother. In his search, the former police commissioner uncovered a huge irony. His mother was an alcoholic and prostitute who abandoned him as a toddler. She was murdered in 1964. No one even bothered to investigate her murder ...

595. Loving From The Heart

1 Peter 1:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... in the water, the Pink Phoenix sprang into action. They pulled Dale from the water and returned him to shore. The members of the Pink Phoenix understood the kind of despair that might make a person want to take his own life. They "adopted" Dale into their support system. They visited him in the hospital and brought him gifts. After recovering from his injuries, Dale Buttenhoff entered drug rehab. He also re-established contact with his estranged daughter. He is currently training to become a drug counselor ...

596. Names For The Christ Child

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... people from their sins. Yeshua. That's a mouthful to call a tiny babe. So we simply say, "Jesus." Christmas Eve is a celebration of the Christian community. It is a good time to remind ourselves that we have a name too. When we become followers of Christ we adopt a family name: "Christians." That name is something of which we are rightly proud. "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ," writes St. Paul, "for it is the power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1: 16). We have no reason to hide or to disguise our ...

597. Casting Out Demons

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... if they liked, but they also could roll over and over with great speed if they wished to go anywhere very fast. According to Plato's myth, because of their fleetness and skill, these "round people" were dangerous rivals in power to Zeus himself. Therefore, Zeus adopted a plan of weakening these round humans by cutting each one of them in two. Now these round creatures looked exactly as we look today. These new half-creatures were still able to do all the things they could do before, but they could no longer ...

598. If Your Life Were A Movie

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

King Duncan

... her children. Ray's oldest sister was only 10 at the time, but she made a valiant effort to take care of her siblings. When the child protective workers discovered the children, they were scattered to various foster homes. Ray was fortunate enough to be adopted by the Giunta family. There he found love, and there he found God. Many years later, Ray initiated a family reunion. In his own life, Ray had seen how God brings hope and restoration out of heartbreak, and he wanted to share that message with others ...

599. The Forward Look

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

King Duncan

... against her owner and purred loudly. This interrupted the man so he put a collar around the cat's neck and tied her to the bedpost whenever he wanted to be left undisturbed. The man's daughter noticed how much his devotional time meant to him, and she adopted the same practice. She dutifully tied her cat to the bedpost and proceeded to read and pray. Her prayer time was shorter, however. The day came when her son grew up. He wanted to keep some of the family traditions, but the pace of life had quickened ...

600. Something To Brag About

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... soldiers. He returned to Cambodia years later only to face danger from government forces once again. After spending five years in a refugee camp, Darren and his wife and children emigrated to the United States. Darren has this to say about his adopted country, "War took everything from us, but America restored our hope." (5) The Smithsonian magazine carried a similar story. After fleeing a civil war in their region and spending 12 years in primitive refugee camps, Hassan and Nurto Lamungu and their children ...

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