Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 601 to 625 of 4964 results

601. A World Without Easter

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Sermon

James Merritt

... and all we can do is wonder which day will fire the fatal bullet. If Jesus has not been raised from the dead there is no hope now, and there is no heaven later. Your loved ones are lost. When you buried that mother or that father it didn't matter whether ... cut up and spread all over the Near East. But Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. On that single statement hinges the only hope of the human race, both in this life and in the life to come. A Buddhist in Africa was converted to Christianity. They asked ...

602. The Church: The Health of a Godly Family

Hebrews 10:22-25

Sermon

James Merritt

... Going to church is a confession. When I go to church I am witnessing to my neighbor. I am declaring to my neighbor that my hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. My neighbor may be hoping for a better economy; he may be hoping for lower interest rates; he maybe hoping for a higher salary; he may be hoping for another job. But when I go to church I am telling him that my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. When you bring your family to church your household is casting a vote. Your ...

603. Colossians 1:1-14

Colossians 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... carried over from traditional Jewish piety, revealing the close ties that yet remained between the synagogue and the church. The thanks that Paul offers ties together three highly recognizable attributes that inform Pauline discussion of the gospel faith, love and hope. In one long phrase (in the original, vv. 3-8 constitute one sentence), Paul tightly binds together these three crucial elements whose bundled presence at Colossae form the basis of Paul's thankfulness. Yet, as Paul praises the Colossians for ...

604. Lent 2

Mark 8:31--9:1, Romans 4:1-25, Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... of Lent. It belongs to Easter, and we are not ready for it now. On the other hand, it is a most important phrase, for it tells us how it is going to end. We can, therefore, go through Lent with its sorrow and pain in a joyful spirit of hope. We can endure the pain for the joy of ultimate victory. 3. Plainly (v. 32). In telling of his coming passion, Jesus spoke "plainly." He was honest, frank and pulled no punches. He told it as it was going to be. Heretofore, Jesus taught primarily in parables. He let his ...

605. The End of Time

Luke 21:5-19

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... the bank. Taking the coins to the bank was always a big production. Stacked neatly in a small cardboard box, the coins were placed between Dad and me on the seat of his old truck. Each and every time, as we drove to the bank, Dad would look at me hopefully. "Those coins are going to keep you out of the textile mill, son. You're going to do better than me. This old mill town's not going to hold you back." Also, each and every time, as he slid the box of rolled coins across the counter at the ...

606. All Is New in Christ

John 11:4-6, Philippians 3:4-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... back to the land of Israel" (37:12b). Yes, God will return the people to their homeland. God's faithfulness to God's people will restore hope and break the bonds. A new day will dawn and a new spring will blossom. The gospel account of the raising of Lazarus from the ... of God in our lives. We know that God sent the Spirit on Pentecost to give us a guide and to renew the people in hope. The Spirit can also release us from all that binds us. The walking dead, those who are held bound are all around us; we are ...

607. They Said 'Yes!'

Ephesians 1:11-23

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, [18] so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, [19] and what is the immeasurable greatness ... own with only the Holy Spirit to guide him. He used to say the Holy Spirit is love. Doesn't the Holy Bible say 'Faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.' Well I've given up the drink. I've worked all the hours God sends. I' ...

608. The Down Side of Christmas

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Wadsworth Longfellow could stop there. He had to write another verse of it. Then pealed the bells more loud and deep God is not dead nor doth he sleep The wrong shall fail, the right prevail With peace on earth, good will to men. That is our hope. We live as people of hope. Don't ever forget it. How can God help us in time of trouble? God helps us REMEMBER. I live by a principle that no trouble enjoys everlasting life. I believe that with all my heart. During WWII, Hitler was making a speech to a large ...

609. Daniel: The Problem of Power

Daniel 6:10-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... vision that the Lord Omnipotent would reign forever and ever. It is that same vision which John captures in Revelation to give hope for the world. Parker Palmer says every life is lived toward a horizon, a distant vision of what lies ahead. The quality ... the dying. We dwell in the land of the dying on the way to the land of the living. Hope is more than wishful thinking. Hope is more than a positive attitude. Hope is the sure and certain conviction that we who die go forth to live. It is confidence that the ...

610. Ezekiel: The Problem of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... in exile, along with other Jewish leaders, in what is now modern day Iraq. There the hand of the Lord was upon him to proclaim hope in a time of hopelessness. Ezekiel's most remembered vision is the one before us today. It is the vision of the dry bones. You ... would say: here is the rest of the story! I. THE VALLEY IS REAL This vision was the third major vision of Ezekiel, a vision of hope for people in the valley of despair. Verses 1-3—The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit ...

611. Living on the Easter Side of Life

Colossians 3:1-4

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... do if I could do it all again And I loved deeper, and I spoke sweeter, and I gave forgiveness I've been denying, and someday I hope you get the chance to live like you are dying. Once we die to what we cannot control, we are set free to experience life in ways ... you like to start living on the Easter side of life? A new life in Christ awaits you. A church community will welcome you. Hope for tomorrow surrounds you in the core of our believing. In the bulb there is a flower, in the seed an apple tree, In ...

612. Headed in the Right Direction

Romans 15:4-13

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... the just shall walk in them" (Hosea 14:9 KJV). Too much emphasis on the immutable truths of God can lead to an overly stern and harsh image, however. So God's truth is coupled by Paul with God's mercy, God's kindness, and steadfast love or forbearance. I hope it almost goes without saying that we have often placed far too much emphasis on God's mercy as a gooey kind of all-accepting love and forgiveness. In the last few years, a new kind of American religion has been described by researchers who claim it is ...

613. Step Into The Vision

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... new church. And in a sense, I have. This isn't the church I was appointed to nearly 6 years ago. That was a small country church with about 150 in attendance and a vision many thought couldn't or wouldn't happen. Now look at us. The Vision, the hopes, the dreams, the desires of ourselves and others is now a reality. We did a good job. We listened to God's call, We all had an image of what God wanted. Those were all different images. The Building Committee, listened and interpreted all of those ideas and out ...

614. Death Meets The Lord

Isaiah 25:6-9

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... of it! His life was gone. Gus was not immortal. He had really come to the end of his rope. There could only be one hope. Back to Isaiah 25 — "... he will swallow up death forever." It appeared that poor Gus was the loser in the bout against Death. So ... One is victorious and I stand within his sphere of power. [He] receives me on the other side of the gloomy grave.4 We can't hope to win any fights against Mr. Death. Gus lost out. So will all of us. Someone was victorious in our stead. There is only one who ...

615. The Ashes of Our Lives

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... they displayed here. But they aren't alone in that boat. We are with them. Do you think God would ask you to do something that you and he together couldn't handle? Don't let the ashes of the past cover you so completely that you give up hope. When Peter met Jesus that first time, he was cautious in turning over control of everything, from his heart to his trade. He approached commitment very cautiously and so should we. As Jesus said, "No one starts to build a tower or goes to war without first counting the ...

616. Epiphany 7

Genesis 45:3-11, 15, Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40, Luke 6:27-36, 1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-50

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... is it easy to be kind to family members when they have betrayed us, as Joseph was with his brothers who sold him! Leader: Thank God, we can be forgiven and try again to live the teachings of Jesus! Let’s sing and pray — People: listen and hope! Prayer Of Thanksgiving Architect of the Universe — we do not understand the intricacies of living and dying or even remembering and forgiving. But we are awed with the beauty of the world and the way it works. We are grateful for companions to think and talk ...

617. Christ the King

Psalm 46:1-11, Jeremiah 23:1-6, Luke 1:68-79; 23:33-43, Colossians 1:11-20

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... look at the world and the people throughout this global village. We know Jesus of Nazareth dreamed and taught that you would set up on earth a new, humane, and godly government and culture. We long for that to happen! And so we gather as your hopeful people, intent on being available to your Spirit, intent on being willing to live honestly and hospitably. Thank you for inviting us to be cocreators with you. We listen for your voice, and we respond with our voices and our actions. Amen. Call To Confession An ...

618. Can These Bones Live Again?

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... it in your imagination? For a generation fascinated by the idea of zombies and cyborgs, this picture from the scriptures ought to be exciting. Then God said to Ezekiel: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people ...

619. Poem: Adonais

Eulogy

Percy Bysshe Shelley

... sprung; and mourn their lot Round the cold heart, where, after their sweet pain, They ne’er will gather strength, or find a home again. X. And one with trembling hands clasps his cold head, And fans him with her moonlight wings, and cries, “Our love, our hope, our sorrow, is not dead; See, on the silken fringe of his faint eyes, Like dew upon a sleeping flower, there lies A tear some Dream has loosened from his brain.” Lost Angel of a ruined Paradise! She knew not ’twas her own; as with no stain ...

620. Gift

2 Corinthians 8:16--9:5, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... voluntarily and from the heart. Only in this way would their gift be an expression of grace. Hence, Paul is not simply commanding them (although he has the authority to do that); he appeals to them by means of the example of others like the Macedonians, hoping to create a friendly rivalry between brothers (see above on vv. 1 and 3a). The Corinthians are thereby given an opportunity to prove the genuineness of their love for the apostle (cf. v. 7). Love, in this case, is not primarily an emotion, but rather ...

621. Praying for Endurance and Healing

James 4:13-17, James 5:1-6, James 5:7-12, James 5:13-20

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... to plan with God. Each plan is evaluated by his standards and goals; each plan is laid before God in prayer with adequate time spent in listening for God’s ideas. In such a case the “if God wills” is a prayerful belief that God does will, not a pious hope God won’t interfere. Plans made with careful prayer and aimed at God’s goals need not be insecure. 4:16 These people, however, are far from prayerful planning: As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. The key term is boast, for it ...

622. Restoration of Israel

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... similar oracle to verses 10–11 in 46:27–28. 30:12–17 This oracle develops in a similar way to the preceding one. In other words, it begins with an emphasis on the coming judgment on Judah for their sin, but then at the end gives a note of hope of restoration. The oracle begins with a dire diagnosis. God’s people have suffered a wound and it is a wound that cannot heal (see Additional Notes). There is no one who can heal them. Switching to a legal metaphor, they also have no one to take up their case ...

623. Timothy and Epaphroditus

Philippians 2:19-30

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... it appears, but when the outcome of his trial is clearer (cf. v. 23). But, while his Philippian friends would doubtless be glad to have news of him, he was anxious to have news of them, and would take courage when it arrived. The news that he hoped to receive would reassure him that they were united in heart and purpose, able to repel threats to their Christian faith and life no matter from which quarter they came. Although the future was uncertain, he expected not only to be spared but to live long enough ...

624. No Confidence in the Flesh

Philippians 3:1-11

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... 1 Cor. 15:12). Christ’s resurrection, the power of which was imparted to his people even in their present mortal life, involved the hope for those who died believing in him “that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with ... 7. See also E. D. Burton, The Epistle to the Galatians, p. 125 (in a note on Gal. 2:17). If it be asked at what time Paul hopes to be found in Christ, the answer may be “on the day of Christ”; but he knows that he will be found in Christ then only if ...

625. The Baby Messiah Recognized

Luke 2:21-40

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... women, since Mary would not have been allowed into the inner courts. 2:30 my eyes have seen your salvation. Simeon echoes the Old Testament hope of “seeing” God’s salvation (Isa. 52:10; cf. Ps. 98:2), but now it is not in the future but rather in the present. ... older.” He writes, “I invite you to explore with me not only the realities of life as we grow older but also the hope and fulfillment—and even joy—that can be ours once we learn to look at these years from God’s point of view and ...

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