Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 601 to 625 of 1354 results

601. A Tireless and Timeless Image

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... with rods and staffs. A rod was a stout piece of wood, around three feet long, with a lump of wood at the end about the size of an orange. With it, the shepherd fought the battles of the sheep; he would use it to drive off wild animals and defend the flock against robbers. A staff was a long crooked stick, and if a sheep showed signs of straying, the shepherd would use that staff to pull it back. The psalmist says of the two items, "Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." Obviously those tools attended to ...

602. Is Anything Unforgivable?

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... into question everything which the person under consideration has done, especially to discredit his or her motives. It is a poor occupation to be a devil's advocate. And yet, we are too often just that when we seek to protect our advantages or to defend our security. We are tempted to discredit someone else's good work or generous act by finding a bad motive, so that the person will not be such a threat to us. Such an attitude eventually leads to moral blindness, the discrediting of goodness, and hardness ...

603. The Impossible Option

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... ." No easier is it for us to put ourselves in Jesus' picture than it was for Bilbo to imagine himself a bold thief or unlikely hero. And yet the command and the invitation stand, blunt and uncompromising. All the excuses we trot out to defend our wavering lie limp on the ground. We are left with the disciples' almost forlorn question when Jesus said that wealth (whether measured as possessions, power, or ability) hinders entry into God's kingdom. "Then how can anyone be saved?" "For God," says Jesus flatly ...

604. The Dangerous Truth

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... ' encounter with Jesus was awkward: To an honest question, Jesus retorted, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?" (John 3:10). Pierced by that truth, and by the greater truth of God's love revealed in Jesus, Nicodemus later defended him and helped to bury him. When this King brings the clarity of God's truth to some, they listen and take to heart. They testify to his truth, as he testifies to his Father's truth. They live, forever changed, forever alive in the unsparing ...

605. The Face that Launched a Thousand Lives

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... in the world's history it happened, that someone came forward with the claim that he was the Son of God, and with the assertion, 'I and the Father are one.' He proved the legitimacy of that claim through the depths to which he descended. A Son of God who defends his title with the argument that he is the brother of even the poorest and the guilty and takes their burden upon himself. This is a fact one can only note and shake one's head in unbelief -- or one must worship and adore. I must worship." And so ...

606. Grace in the Midst of Judgment

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... . In the grace of God, we ourselves (those who have trusted Christ) will not be lost. Everyone who has enlisted as a lifelong learner of Jesus Christ -- not on his own terms, but on Christ's terms -- will be represented by a whale of an attorney. Our defender will be Jesus himself. 1 John 2:1 affirms, "If anyone does sin" -- and that would include the person currently on your left, the one on your right, and the one sitting in your chair -- "we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous ...

607. Don't Forget What You Look Like

James 1:19-27

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... not begin his life as a religious person. To the contrary, he was caught up in images of medieval chivalry. His fantasies were those of gallantry and kingly romance. He became a professional soldier, good at gambling, fighting, and having affairs with women. While defending a fortress in 1521, an artillery shot crashed between his legs, shattering his right leg and wounding his left. As he lay ill and deformed in his family's castle, Ignatius was told by village surgeons that the skewed bones of his right ...

608. How May We Come To God?

Psalm 24:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... we live by and what we ought to do. We are confused. That is why we do not see God. We do not love with our whole hearts, and do not seek God with our whole hearts. With us, everything is half-hearted and divided. We accuse ourselves -- and defend ourselves. And the worst thing of all is that when our hearts accuse us, we no longer know that God is greater than our hearts. That is why we continually reproach ourselves and other people." ("Openness for the Coming God", p. 25 - 26) Well, how can it be? If ...

609. Walk In Newness Of Life

Romans 6:1-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... to him kindly that he believed in him, that he had tried to get him another chance, and that he was sorry the whole thing hadn't worked out. Not Barnabas. He possessed the kind of tough goodness that wouldn't give up. He defended Mark, fought for him, and eventually, split with Paul over the issue. Barnabas was a good man. He was wonderfully kind, but his kindness was reinforced with spiritual muscle. Sometimes we need just such strong goodness." (J. Ellsworth Kalas, "The Strong Goodness", Church of ...

610. God Is Like A Mother

Isaiah 66:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... reveal God's relationship to us -- all of them apply -- but none of them can be taken singly. But here is one we need to give more attention to than we have. God as a mother eagle stirring the nest -- or as a mother hen setting up a shelter to defend us -- or as just an ordinary mother, comforting her children -- God is like that. Here it is in a dramatic poem about another bird -- not an eagle nor a hen -- but a pelican, a mother pelican. Have you heard the tale of the pelican The Arab's Gimmel-el-Bar ...

611. Christmas and the New Family

John 1:1-18

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... of God, and for the family of God to be restored. G. K. Chesterton probably said it as well as anyone since the writer of John's Gospel. Chesterton is known to many as author of the Father Brown mystery novels, and to others as a passionate defender of the Christian faith. In his poem, "The House of Christmas," Chesterton first describes the state of our human souls. For men are homesick in their homes, And strangers under the sun, And they lay their heads in a foreign land Whenever the day is done. We ...

612. Endings

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... to our text, he will lead them once more out of slavery in a new exodus event. Waters will flow forth in the desert and even the wild beasts will praise his act (vv. 19-20). God will return to his people and lead them into a new life, defending them by his mighty right arm, but also feeding them like a shepherd, carrying them tenderly in his everlasting love, and gently leading those who are with young (40:9-11). The central message of the Second Isaiah, then, is that Israel is to wait for that new act ...

613. Tasks For The Living God

Acts 16:11-15

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... for the day from John 14:23-29, and indeed, throughout chapters 14-16 in the Fourth Gospel, which tell of the Last Supper, Jesus promises his disciples that he will never leave them desolate, that he will come to them in the Spirit, and teach them, and defend them. In fact, it is through the work of the Holy Spirit that Jesus will continue his work on earth (John 16:8-11). In writing Acts, Luke is very conscious of that gift. It is the Holy Spirit that guides Paul on his journeys, that brings conversions ...

614. Equipping the Whole People of God: Penultimate Questions

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... may be built up.” Though Tom Oden’s conclusion in his Theology of Pastoral Ministry may not have unquestioned Biblical support, it does have experiential support and is a reflection of practical divinity that most folks today would probably want to defend. Tom said, “There remains a line as thin as hair, but as hard as a diamond, between ordained ministry and the faithful layperson.” (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983, p. 88) The reality of this “line” between “laity” and “clergy” does ...

615. Our Journey With Jesus

2 Corinthians 5:17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... was founded – but listen, friends. Certainly no less – perhaps even more – those words are descriptive of our day. Dr. Morrison was making a broadside criticism of the Christian scene. The primary impetus for the raising of Asbury Seminary was to declare and defend the Wesleyan doctrine of holiness of heart and life. The person and work of the Holy Spirit was the pervasive, theological concern that fired the minds and hearts of Dr. Morrison and those who shepherded the Seminary into life. That is ...

616. Partners In the Gospel

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... your life together, pastor and people, I call upon you to be partners in the gospel. Remember your privilege -- you belong to Christ. Know that you are partakers of grace with those in prison -- you’re to enter into solidarity with suffering people around the world -- and you’re to defend and confirm the gospel. Claim the promise: He who begun a good work in you will bring it to completion.

617. We Are All One In Union With Christ

Galatians 3:26--4:7, Psalm 42:1-11

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

Call To Worship Leader: My heart is breaking, and so I turn my thoughts to God. People: He has sent waves of sorrow over my soul. Leader: To God, my defender, I say, "Why have you forgotten me?" People: I am crushed by the insults of my enemies, as they keep asking me, "Where is your God?" Leader: Why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled? People: I will put my hope in God, and once again I will ...

618. The Man With A Plumbline

Amos 7:10-17

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

Call To Worship Leader: God presides in the heavenly council. He declares: "You must stop judging unjustly; you must no longer be partial to the wicked!" People: He declares: "You must defend the rights of the poor and the orphans; be fair to the needy and the helpless." All: Come, O God, and rule the world; all the nations are yours. Collect O Lord, our God, we pray that you will give us the mind of Christ so that when we see ...

619. What Making a Difference Looks Like

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... as the place to which companionship with Jesus may lead, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Where are you called to speak up? Where are you called to stand out? Where are you called to defend the causes of God in our world? Conclusion If anything in the Bible is, these eight blessings of Jesus are biblical, and by that I mean more than that they are found in the Bible. They are eminently biblical because, like the two tables of the ...

620. The Heart of an Intimate Matter

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... , as a body of believers across time- what the Apostles’ Creed calls the holy catholic church and the communion of the saints, also has convictions. We have informed teaching on many issues, but the word doctrine is generally reserved for the few issues we defend at all costs because they most clearly define who and whose we are. These are the bare minimum we can hold and remain faithful; to remove a line from the Apostles’ or Nicene Creeds would alter the ecology of the faith and distort the church ...

621. Getting Your Politics Right

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... said. Feminism, and its offshoot of Christian feminism, took care of that one a few years after the Civil Rights movement laid waste to the other. Residues are still around, but the general moral consensus in America is now that racism and sexism cannot be defended. Perhaps the same will one day be said of the national shame of abortion and of uneven access to health care. Change is slow and then sudden after pressure builds to the breaking point. Thomas Jefferson saw and stated truths he himself could not ...

622. Sorrow For Those Who Do Not Obey God

Jeremiah 8:4--9:26

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

Call To Worship Leader: O God, my defender, answer me when I pray! People: When I was in trouble, you helped me. Be kind to me now and hear my prayer. Leader: There are many who pray: "Give us more blessings, O Lord. Look on us with kindness!" People: But the joy that you have given me is ...

623. Torn Curtain

Luke 23:44-49, Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... fall into temptation.” While he is still speaking a crowd comes up, led by his former disciple, Judas. Judas approaches Jesus and kisses him. Jesus asks, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” And, of course, he is. One of Jesus’ disciples wants to defend the Master. He draws a sword and strikes the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. Jesus touches the man’s ear and heals him. So like the Master! They come to him to do him harm; he comes to them to heal not only ...

624. A Higher Value than Freedom

Matthew 3:13-17

Illustration

Johnny Dean

If there’s one thing we Americans value above everything else, it is freedom. We cherish, guard and exercise our freedom, and woe be unto those who threaten it in any way. We’re even willing to go to war to defend freedom, whether it’s ours or someone else’s. We are the world’s self-appointed watchdogs of freedom. But Jesus says there’s a higher value than freedom. The first words the writer of the Gospel of Matthew has Jesus speak are not about freedom, but about obedience to ...

625. A Reassuring Prophecy

Isaiah 7:10-16

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... the prophet or, more probably, the wife of the king himself. And “Immanuel” was very likely a name that lots of women gave to their infants. But that common occurrence was to be the “sign” to Ahaz that God would keep his promise to him to defend him. God had much earlier promised that there would never be lacking a Davidic heir to sit upon the throne (2 Samuel 7). You can trust that promise, Isaiah was assuring Ahaz. One thing, however, was required of that Davidic king — faith. “If you will not ...

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