Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 576 to 600 of 4964 results

576. Isn't It Time To Get It Right?

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... ever notice that some people always get it wrong? Paul Harvey, in his book FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, tells about a county jail in south Florida where jail officials found a plastic trash bag hanging to the bars of a cell. Inside was Jimmy Jones, a prisoner who hoped he'd get taken out with the trash. And he might have -- except during roll call his reflexes took over. And when the name Jimmy Jones was called... From inside the bag came a muffled response: "Here." Some people just can't get it right. But here's ...

577. Convinced Beyond A Doubt

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... the scars with his finger. When he rose to his feet, there were tears in his eyes. "Thank you," he said. "Now I have hope." (4) Seeing and touching the scars gave him hope. Touching Jesus' scars gave Thomas hope--hope about the meaning of his life--hope that life really does matter--hope that we are not here merely for a moment and then forever gone as if we had never existed--hope that the Easter story is true. Christ is alive. Death has been conquered. Anyone who has seen the movie Apollo 13 can't help ...

578. April Sky

John 20:1-18

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... that Jesus was alive again. Can you imagine how happy Jesus' family and friends were? They must have jumped up and down, and yelled and shouted, and just gone crazy with happiness! And that's why we are so happy today when we celebrate Easter. Easter is all about hope. "Hope" is kind of like believing that everything is going to be all right, that good things are going to happen. At Easter, God let us know that everything is going to be all right. He's in control. In fact, this is how I like to think of the ...

579. The Gift Of Freedom

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

Sermon

Landon Winstead

... when to rise and when to lie down; when your meal is served whether you are hungry or not; when you can go out into the courtyard for fresh air, although the tall walls surrounding the prison rarely allow one a scenic view. You hopefully make a few friends, and they will hopefully protect you from the harm of another group. You never know. I suppose one is like an animal in prison; hyper-vigilant; always looking over your shoulder, at least in the beginning. And then as the years past, maybe you become more ...

580. The Guiding Light for a New Year

Isaiah 60:1-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... know do you understand that you represent Jesus to me? If you care, I think maybe He cares"” and then there's this flame of hope that burns inside of me and for a while I am afraid to breathe because it might go out. Do you know do you understand that ... a lampstand . . ." (Matthew 5:15) We are to move boldly into this new year, because the light of Christ floods our hearts, giving us hope and wholeness. And then we are to shine our light so that others may know that the light of Christ still shines into our ...

581. Can We Really Trust God?

Romans 4:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... --when we knowingly misrepresent the truth and we are "satisfied with my own ethics and character." Living truthfully may make you odd in today's world. It would be easier, of course, if the life of faith were easier. Hebrews 11 defines faith as "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Don't expect much respect in our society if you claim allegiance to a God no one can see, or to promises that will only be fulfilled in the future. Today, our Bible passage is about Abraham, one of ...

582. People Jesus Loved

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... killing yourself." (4) Sometimes the most loving thing you can do for someone is to tell them--in love--the brutal truth. Betty Ford's family loved her enough to help her see herself as she really was. As long as there is someone who cares for us, there is hope. That is the first thing we need to see. And here is the second thing: No one is hopeless who is open to Jesus. Someone brought this non-hearing man to Jesus. Now, can you picture this? Jesus took the man aside in private, away from the crowd, and he ...

583. Two Women Of Faith

Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... and Elizabeth were not randomly chosen to serve God. They were women who believed in God's promises. Christmas is an act of faith. God the creator becomes an infant in a crib. Who could believe such a mystery? Yet that is the testimony of the people called Christians. The hope of the world was laid in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. It reminds me of a story Dr. Robert Kopp tells about an old woman who was nearing her death and wanted to leave her estate to someone who would use it for a good cause. So ...

584. Amazing Grace

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

... , the fact that while we are sinners we have and can be saved by His grace, elevated to a new standard of life, to a new hope and new joy, a new expectancy as we live from day to day. What a marvelous word Paul has given us here in this fifth chapter ... no. There is no salvation without him. But when we look to Him, when we understand His grace and mercy toward us, our hearts take hope and courage, and the answer to, "Shall we be saved?" is a resounding yes, a glorious yes, for God loves us so much that He ...

585. Forgiveness: Human and Divine

Matthew 6:12-15

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

... there may I though vile as he, Wash all my sins away. What a beautiful, beautiful message. What a grand word from God: sins forgiven, cleansing accomplished through the saving blood of Jesus Christ. We''re now a Christian, we've entered into a new relationship with the Lord, hopefully one of joy and great freedom. But does it mean that we no longer sin? No. As long as we''re in the flesh we do sin, but there is a difference now. No longer are we standing in a state of objective sin before God. Our sin has ...

586. Tomorrow Doesn't Always Come

James 4:1-12

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

... . We could reach out to others with that message of the Savior who saves to the uttermost, and tell people that he is their only hope, and yet we''re silent. We just keep it to ourselves and go our own way. One man concluded, "I have made two mistakes in ... it on the rope to keep it from swinging out of his reach. He knew that if he didn''t secure the rope, he''d have no hope of leaving the cave again. As he began to make some preparations, get his flashlight and all so he could go back farther in the cave to ...

587. Whatever Happened to those Mansions?

John 14:1-4

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... anxiety. Paul Tillich defined anxiety as “the state in which a being is aware of its possible non-being.” Like all other animals, we will die. Unlike all other animals (as far as we know) we know that we will die. Therein is our dilemma—and our hope. For it is the knowledge of our mortality that causes us to ask the ultimate questions about the meaning of our life and death. Tillich said that there are several questions which every human being must ask and answer in order to be truly human: “What is ...

588. Food for the Fed-up

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... not imagine where they had been stabled. He could not even guess what possible use could be made of them in the service of worship. But time after time he craned his neck forward to see the ecclesiastical menagerie. But they never appeared. Still, he kept hoping that one day they would. The minister had announced it. Surely a man of God would not lie! Then one day, after the minister enunciated more clearly or he had grown up in understanding, he heard the word clearly and it was not “elephants” but ...

589. A Landmark Event!

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... old man is near death and she pleads with her husband to show mercy. "He's come home to die, Pa. He has no place to go but here. He has no one but you. With nothing to look back on in pride and nothing to look forward to in hope ... he's come home to die." Perhaps there's one of you here today whose past is nothing more than a guilty spasm of pain and whose future seems but a hopeless end. Come! For such a one as you this church is built, this table is spread. Here at ...

590. Getting Ready for Advent

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... a Jewish boy's heart beat inside a little Palestinian girl's breast. When we hear and read of events like this, we pray and hope that the ancient cry of Advent will become our cry. "Prepare the way of the Lord. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed ... God's advent! Just as the Herald announces the coming of God to ancient Israel to take away fear and despondency, so the message of hope is announced by John the Baptizer. This cry of Advent is announced with the words, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away ...

591. Pack Up Your Troubles

James 4:13-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... and live and witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ. And He further reassured them, and us, that He would be with us in the person and power of the Holy Spirit. We can pack up our troubles because we know that the uncertain future has a certain hope. Jesus did not speak about his second coming being soon; he did speak of it being sudden. Over and over again, he urged those who heard him to be ready for his unexpected return. Interestingly, in this passage, James is not trying to shock us or scare us by ...

592. Prepare The Way Of The Lord

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... can be breaking in me?" Isn't that beautiful? Who knows? Who knows what morning can be breaking in me? Who knows? So we live in hope. I like the way Eric Fromm put it. "To live is to be ready at every moment, for that which is not yet born, and ... that which is ready to be born" (The Art of Loving). So, that's the first way to prepare for the Coming of the Lord being hopeful. II. Then the second way we prepare the way of the Lord is by being joyful. Our second scripture lesson from the prophet Habakkuk is ...

593. Putting the Puzzle Together

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

... quoted in the central article was a young woman, a student getting her doctorate in Religion and Nature at the University of Florida. The article's author noted that this young woman's idea of worship consists of "composting, recycling, and daily five-mile runs." (4) I hope that works for her. I really do. But I have my doubts. From all the evidence I've seen no alternative faith offers anything that is even close to the power of the words of Jesus. Simon Peter turned to the Master and said, "Lord, to whom ...

594. Dealing With Your Enemies

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’t his child, he said. She was a Palestinian. He was Israeli. He found her lying in the street and decided to help. “Mister,” he said through his tears, “there must come a time when we realize that we are all family.” (3) Do you know of any other hope? I don’t. How do you treat your enemies? Jesus said to love them. Think what might happen if we, like the shepherd-soldier, young David, let our religion affect how we regard those who would do us wrong. The whole world might be changed. 1. John A ...

595. What Making a Difference Looks Like

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... might be added as a footnote to the New Testament canon. It was not written just any old time of year but Easter weekend 1963, a turbulent time when peace-makers were few, peace-breakers many, and when most of our churches sat in the guilty silence of peace-fakery, hoping it would all go away. His flaws we will leave to the historians, but his pen that day was pure prophecy; the candle of his intellect and rhetoric was lit by the Holy Spirit. I read the last two paragraphs as a son of the South, in the ...

596. Surprised by God

Genesis 28:10-19a

Sermon

James L. Killen

... present, and the life that our religion talks about is a real possibility in our real world. Knowing that, we should make it our purpose to go there and to experience that reality. In his letter to the Romans, Paul speaks of a deep yearning, a hunger, a hope that is there in the very life and body of the whole creation as it reaches out to come into relationship with God. "We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now, and not only the creation but we ourselves, who have the ...

597. The Paraclete Is Not a Bird

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... is where the ladies with the clipboards got it wrong. Apocalypse was written to interpret the age in which it was written. It was to answer that question, "What do these events that are happening all around us mean?" For the early Christians, apocalypse was a word of hope. It said, Jesus will return soon and there will be a great battle, and you will reign with him forever. But it didn't happen. They waited for it. It didn't happen. They prayed for it. Maranatha! Come quickly Lord Jesus! He didn't come, not ...

598. Proper 28

Judges 4:1-24, Matthew 25:14-30, Zephaniah 1:4-13, Zephaniah 1:14--2:3

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... (v. 18). The "end" is final. There is nothing beyond or it would not be the end. The wrath of God will not be spent until the end of everything. It reminds us of the result of nuclear warfare and the end of the earth. This passage gives us no hope, no solution. The end is promised and it will come, unless.... Or, is it too late? Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 1. Surprise (v. 4). Paul claims that the sudden return of Christ should not be a surprise for Christians. For the rest of the world, the end will ...

599. The Oneness of Twoness

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... say December 25th is just a "Holiday". Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it! CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod Something was changing, something quite odd! Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda. As Targets were hanging their trees upside down At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found. At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ...

600. Proper 6

Matthew 10:1-42, Matthew 9:35-38, Romans 5:1-11, Psalm 116:1-19, Genesis 18:1-15

Sermon Aid

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

... . Thus, our justification is grace! This good news puts us at peace, because, Paul says, we have (through being justified) access to grace. But this experience of the goodness of God is neither static nor complete! For the apostle immediately talks of our hope. Hope is related to our future, which has been created by the gracious work of God in Jesus Christ. For Paul, this scheme is far from "possibility thinking"; rather, it is "reality living." So Paul continues his meditation by bringing us all down into ...

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