Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 601 to 625 of 4943 results

601. Fertilize Your Faith

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in the hearts of its constituents. While the spiritually empty Temple elite enjoyed the succulent perks of money and power, the rest of Israel was denied the rich, spiritual food that it should have been granted, so that it could produce and reproduce. Taking up “space” in God’s “vineyard,” the metaphor Jesus uses for God’s world at large, especially the world of Israel and Judaism, the Temple had become a huge, imposing, but barren edifice, a life-depleting monster. Now it’s the 21st century ...

602. A Faith that Does Not Quit

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... man, and he told the elderly man as gently as possible that the pictures showed little talent. He was sorry, but he could not lie to the man. The visitor was disappointed, but seemed to expect Rossetti’s judgment. He then apologized for taking up Rossetti’s time, but asked if Rossetti would look at just a few more drawings these done by a young art student? Rossetti looked over the second batch of sketches and immediately became enthusiastic over the talent they revealed. “These,” he said, “Oh ...

603. The Significance Of An Insignificant Man

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Erskine White

... records it for all posterity: Simon of Cyrene carried Jesus' cross to Calvary. This was an insignificant man who did a very significant thing. He brought Jesus' words to life, for Jesus had said to His disciples, "If any would come after Me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24). And Jesus was also to tell them, "Truly I say to you ... you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go" (John 21:18). The very first ...

604. Which Mask Will You Wear?

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

King Duncan

... politics, as we say. Politicians wear masks. Having said that, I must add this rejoinder. The truth of the matter is that all of us wear masks from time to time. On occasion we all play the hypocrite. Certainly I’m conscious of that. Every time I talk about taking up the cross and following Christ, I am confronted with the question of how much my faith costs me and whether I am giving my all to serve the Master. You understand that. It’s true of you as well. The critics are right. The church is full of ...

605. Jesus' Ministry Beyond Galilee

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... raised to new life (Mark 8:31; 9:30-32; 10:32-34). Jesus reveals to his disciples the world of suffering that awaits his ministry. He calls upon them to take up their cross and follow him into suffering (Mark 8:34-38). But the disciples never get the point! They keep seeing "glory" as their destiny (Mark 9:34; 10:35-37. We will take up this series of passages in more detail in subsequent chapters). Returning to the story in Mark 14 we understand that Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem to die. The disciples ...

606. Advance into Europe

Acts 15:36-41

Sermon Aid

CSS

... the Spirit might take him next, Paul fell into a deep sleep and saw a vision of a man from Greece beseeching him to "come over to Macedonia and help us." Here the telltale pronoun in the narrative changes from "they" to "we" (16:10) as Luke takes up the story personally. How Luke and Paul met remains a mystery. Maybe Paul was taken ill and Luke was a local physician called in to attend him. The nocturnal vision gave new purpose to the journey. Paul and his companions responded promptly, setting sail on the ...

607. The Cross In My Pocket

Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Luke 9:18-27

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... , claim your new identity and be an eternal winner! There is a third truth that the cross in my pocket calls to mind: THE CROSS CALLS US TO MINISTRY. In verse 23 of our text, Jesus said, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." When I touch that cross in my pocket, it raises these questions: What is the shape of my cross? What costly effort for His sake am I engaged in just now? What have I done today that only a Christian would do? Jesus ...

608. Do You Know This Man?

John 6:25-59

Sermon

King Duncan

... How could the awesome and eternal I AM be contained in a weak and decaying body? The people Jesus was speaking to lived hard lives of constant physical labor. They dreamed of being released from the prison of the human body. Why would God dignify the body by taking up residence in it? And the answer is, of course, to save us. In order to save us from this "body of death," God took on the same limited body. He knows our aches and pains and weaknesses. He is sympathetic to our struggles. In Jesus, we see how ...

609. Discovering that It’s Not about You

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

James L. Killen

... can have it all with new freedom and new purpose. What God was trying to show to Abraham on the mountain of sacrifice is the same thing that Jesus was trying to show us all when he said, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25).

610. Lent 5

John 11:1-45 · Romans 8:6-11 · Ezekiel 37:1-14 · Psalm 130

Sermon Aid

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

... a movie where the main drama has already been played out. The exiles are hopeless anti-heroes. Ezekiel 1-32 presents judgment oracles against Israel and the nations in an attempt to explain how such a hopeless situation could have come about. Ezekiel 33-48 takes up the more difficult task of raising the question of whether the situation is, in fact, hopeless. The question that provides the overarching problem for the latter section of the book is stated by the exiles in Ezekiel 33:10, "How then can we live ...

611. Thanksgiving Day, North America

Luke 17:11-19, Deuteronomy 8:1-20, Psalm 65:1-13, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon Aid

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

... the nature of true worship, they are brought together because of their mutual concern with "thanksgiving." One minister noticing these readings for Thanksgiving Day said, "Well, there you have it; that's what Thanksgiving's about: praising God and taking up the collection!" At one level the meanings of both passages are self-evident, but the readings also have in common a subtle complexity related to profound theological themes. 1 Corinthians 9:6-15 - "The Gracious Gift of Generosity" Setting. Sometime ...

612. Jesus Is the Recipe for Eternal Life

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... presents the same message in varied ways. Jesus told his disciples, "Whoever wants to be first must be the last of all and servant of all" (Mark 9:35). In another context, Jesus put it this way, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 18:24-25). In essence Jesus is saying that the recipe for eternal life is not about me only, but ...

613. A Double Share of the Spirit

2 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... . How many of us have chosen our work because of someone else who did that work? How many teachers are teachers today because of a teacher they once had? How many people saw someone who was admirable doing admirable work, and were influenced by that? Elisha moved on to take up the mantle of Elijah because of what he saw Elijah doing, and because he knew who Elijah was as a person. It could be, of course, that we might take the beneficence and gifts offered to us and use them in our own unique way as we move ...

614. Is There Room For Shepherds?

Luke 2:8-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... contented where we are spiritually. We like where we are. It feels good. We feel close to God. We feel safe. It's comfortable. Unfortunately, faith isn't about comfort. And certainly walking with Christ isn't supposed to be comfortable, not when He says things like, "Take up your cross and follow me." I don't think he was talking about jewelry either. I'm pretty sure Jesus was talking about a lifestyle where we become more and more like Christ. That's what Wesley called going on to Perfection and a life of ...

615. The Shared Life of the People of God, Part 2

Galatians 6:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of us have heard as the Christian message, gives us little encouragement for self-appreciation. The message has come through as self-depreciation. To be sure, self-denial is at the heart of the Gospel. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” That is at the very heart of the Gospel. But that self-denial is not to be seen as self-depreciation, or any form of devaluating the self. We need to look carefully at Paul’s words. He’s warning ...

616. The Power to Belong

Acts 4:32-35

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... them" (verse 34). In the church of my childhood, preachers were afraid of this scripture. It sounded like socialism. It reminded people of communism. Preachers liked to remind people that this communal experiment failed and churches throughout the region wound up taking up love offerings for the Mother Church of Jerusalem. Oh, how culture shapes our interpretation of scripture! Communism says, “What's yours is mine, I'll take it." Koinonia says, “What's mine is God's, lets share it." Sharing here was ...

617. The Mouse Christmas

Drama

Frank Ramirez

... us from sin, and so when he was born The power of evil was conquered, so here We mice have assembled and we feel no fear! (Children sing a stanza of “What Child Is This?”) (Grandmother enters with a bag of corn. The Mice stay in place. She will take up a broom, but will stop before she strikes the mice!) Grandmother Eek! I see mice. Let me get out the broom And sweep all the creatures right out of the room. But wait — I see shepherds and angels and maybe A king here and there, and of course here’s ...

618. Soul Soup

John 2:13-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... knew that, as demonstrated in his transfiguration just weeks before, He would be the cornerstone of that spiritual Temple upon which all other souls would be built. Jesus would be the living Temple. And He will be the Temple of every other living soul who would take up a cross and follow Him. Jesus is the Balm of Gilead, who would soothe any sin-sick soul. And the foundation upon which every soul must find its footing. Today, we as disciples must continue to allow Jesus to nourish our souls with His healing ...

619. Jesus Made Like His Brothers

Hebrews 2:5-18

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... far as we can tell from the other writings of the NT, our author’s original work. Obviously, the primary significance of the title has to do with the sacrificial ritual for atonement, as in the present verse (cf. 7:26, 8:1). The author, however, takes up opportunities for further application in such areas as help for those in difficulty (4:14f.; 6:20) and the good things brought by Christ (3:1; 9:11). Since the significance of the title composes a crucial, indeed central, part of the argument of Hebrews ...

620. A Zealot’s Greatest Battle

Drama

... not hear) You forgot something! (His voice trails off) Your sica! (He throws it on the ground) Jesus ... Sir ... I think you would have been proud of me. I won! I won my greatest battle! For these past three days, I have faced the greatest temptation of my life ... to take up the sica again. But I won! I fought off all of those old hatreds that were pulling at me. I meant it, sir, when I dedicated my life to you. I will be loyal to you though I can no longer hear your voice ... though I can no longer see ...

621. The Glory of the Lord

Exodus 40:1-33

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... s Day in the spring month of Abib. Traditionally, this is the day of God’s creation of the world. The beginning of the Lord’s presence in the tabernacle was a new act of creation. The created world cannot be the same after the Creator takes up residence among the people. 40:16 Moses anointed Aaron and his sons. The full consecration and ordination service, described in ch. 29, takes place later, in Lev. 8. 40:38 “During all their travels.” After the people entered Canaan, for more than 300 years the ...

622. Be Careful How You Walk

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

King Duncan

... church really is the church, we are visiting in one another's homes. We are breaking bread together. We are worshiping and studying and singing with one accord. Life cannot beat us down when we are joined like that. Sin cannot mar our lives. Despair cannot take up residence in the open heart. Be careful how you walk. Use your head. Have an open heart - open to God and open to one another. FINALLY, ST. PAUL SAYS WE ARE TO LIFT OUR HANDS IN THANKSGIVING, "...always and for everything giving thanks in the name ...

623. Here I Am

Hebrews 12:18-29

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . But what about THEE? What about you? What is God calling you to do? Where is God calling you to be in ministry? You see, I truly believe that God calls each of us. We're not just called to be saved and that's it. No, when Jesus said, "Take up your cross and follow me." He wasn't talking about only going to church on Sundays. He was talking about both a lifestyle and a ministry. Jesus didn't tell us to go and do nothing. He told us to go into all the world and make disciples, teaching them ...

624. The Elephant in The Living Room

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

John Smylie

... stretch us beyond our limits, things that our Lord himself will assist us with through the presence, power, and indwelling of his Holy Spirit. Jesus even shows us the way to get beyond ourselves. He says, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it" (vv. 34-35). Over thirty years ago, I made that memorable trip to ...

625. The Ultimate Mountain Top Experience

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... He is telling them that he must suffer, die and then be resurrected. This is followed with another epiphany as to what their life is to be like after his resurrection: “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? . . .’” Then he ...

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