Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 626 to 650 of 1185 results

626. Have Faith Anyway

Matthew 15:21-28

Illustration

David E. Leininger

... the '30s. His stories were of people confused with their imprisonment and sometimes destroyed with their release. Painfully, silently, the audience relived the events of Wiesel's young life when he was the only surviving member of his family. Finally the stories ceased. His eyes dropped to the floor. There was no sound at all in that mammoth room for what seemed an agonizing eternity. Then he repeated the question, "After Auschwitz, can we still believe?" He shook his head slowly, sadly, "No, no,..." before ...

627. Overcoming Fear

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... enough to sustain us. What is the cure for fear? The cure is to develop confidence that God is with us and is sufficient for our needs. That confidence is called faith. In the middle of that stormy sea, Jesus shouted, "Hush! Be quiet!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. After that night the disciples never again feared a storm on the Sea of Galilee if Jesus was with them. They knew he was sufficient. Later the disciples learned that Jesus would not always make the storms go away. Sometimes he ...

628. From Worry To Trust

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... have insurance, and make reasonable plans for our latter years. But if you ask a financial consultant to tell you how much is enough, it’s almost impossible to get an answer. We cannot make provision for every possible contingency of the future. And if we could, we might cease to live by faith. God will help us know what reasonable provision for the future looks like, and how to trust him for that which we cannot anticipate. If worry does lots of harm and no good, let us be rid of it. But how? That's the ...

629. I Believe In God The Father Almighty

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... you closer to God.” (3) Just consider these rather amazing facts about our planet earth. We are just the right distance from the sun, 93 million miles. If the earth’s temperature were an average of 50 degrees hotter or colder, all life on the planet would cease. I haven’t checked that fact with Al Gore but I’m sure it is correct. Consider the fact that earth rotates 365 times each year. If it rotated only 50 times per year, one side of our planet would be terribly hot and the other side unbearably ...

630. Out of Solitude

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... and the wine of God's grace. One last verse from John Greenleaf Whittier's poem. He lived before the days of iPods and Blackberries, cell phones and pagers, but his poem couldn't be more appropriate: Drop thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease; take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of thy peace. Sabbath: a day apart from the rest of our lives. Sabbath: a moment within the days of our lives. Sabbath: together, for the sake of our lives. I ...

631. The Magna Carta of the Human Soul

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... cat on catnip. You put other people above yourself. In a world of fashionistas, you’re a passionista for faith, hope and love. You are constantly being asked why you smile so much, and why you have such high-hopes. You pray without ceasing, and forgive without flinching. You are indiscriminate in your hospitality. You are highly competitive, always trying to outdo your friends and family in goodness, beauty and truth. That’s our Magna Carta. That’s your Magna Carta. So tell me: how “authentic” are ...

632. A Day to Day Activity

Matthew 16: 21-28

Illustration

Keith Miller puts it this way: It has never ceased to amaze me that we Christians have developed a kind of selective vision which allows us to be deeply and sincerely involved in worship and church activities and yet almost totally pagan in the day in, day out guts of our business lives and never realize it. Jesus did not ...

633. Apostolic Instruction

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... in all of this? Well, yes, I do believe so. Some of you may be tempted to say "but don't go there." I think it necessary we do that very thing. It is immeasurably inspirational and satisfying in the best sense to "rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances." It is as though we are enveloped by a teaching much bigger and better than we are. We have tapped into a stream of living water and it really and truly feels good! In reality it is doubtful we do anything completely ...

634. From Father Failure to Divine Father

Romans 8:12-17

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... ironically helps us confess our escapism and vain, idealistic self-projections. Paradoxically, once we accept responsibility for ourselves and for the world, God, as divine Father, shares responsibility with us and cooperates with us for good. Therefore, as children of God, we cease blaming our ancestors for our behavior and we refrain from projecting our ideal of God unto God. Instead, we commit ourselves to God, who by his grace accepts us into his family of love, ever beseeching us to become new persons ...

635. Finding Unity through Christ

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... the collective good; their very survival depended on their ability to be united. Local Christian communities banded together in "house churches," meeting each Sunday morning and worshiping in secret, staying one step ahead of any authorities who might want to cease their operations. These small groups of Christians grew over time as a result of the strength that their unity provided. This vitality came not through numbers, but from common beliefs, goals, attitudes, and a standard way of life. People truly ...

636. Living the Word of God

James 1:17-27

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... into two, India for the Hindus and Pakistan for those practiced Islam, independence was granted. Riots, however, continued to engulf the country and, thus, as was his custom Gandhi began a fast asking for peace. On January 30, 1948, twelve days after his fast ceased, Mohandas Gandhi, known as Mahatma or "Great Soul" to his people, was assassinated as he walked to evening prayer. The world mourned the loss of one of its great men, one who acted on his beliefs to secure justice for all. Mahatma Gandhi was ...

637. Living Church

Mark 2:23—3:6

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... worship of the most high God, where anything could happen, including changed lives and commissioned slaves of the Lord. Decide. Which is better? Collect Lord, you have made this day for us, called upon us to get off the train, pull out of the rat race, cease to measure our lives by product and production, and simply to be, to become, to bide. Open your gates to us. Grant us more than rest — walk with us toward joy. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Forgive us, God Almighty, when we fail to claim rest and ...

638. Do Overs

1 Samuel 15:34, 1 Samuel 16:13, Lamentations 3:22-23

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Based on Lamentations 3:22-23) Collect God of discernment, we are grateful you do not see us as the world does, but that you look in our hearts. Magnify our good intent into ...

639. Weaving the Spirit’s Trail

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Navajo weavers discovered they could create other patterns, not just horizontal bands of color. These “pauses” or “lazy lines” enabled Navajo weavers to create terraced lines, diagonal lines, and their own unique patterns. With this discovery, the Navajo weavers ceased to be textile manufacturers and became world-class artists. The truth is weaving had always been a spiritual exercise. The Navajo believed they had been brought out of the earth to live in their southwestern lands by “Spider-Man ...

640. A New Day Is Coming

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to an end; a new day will soon dawn. Saint Paul echoes this powerful theme in his writings. In Philippians (4:4) he states, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." He writes to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." We can and must rejoice as Paul suggests, for the Lord is near; there is a light at the end of the tunnel. All of us must pass through various ...

641. A Promise Fulfilled: A Gift Given

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... communication with God, is absolutely essential to our lives, as vital as the food and drink we consume and the air that we breathe, but somehow it often does not hold such priority in our lives. Saint Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:17) tells us that we must "pray without ceasing." Too often we make excuses why we don't pray: "I'm too busy," "It's not my style," "I feel awkward." Maybe our gift to the Lord today could be a commitment to pray and to stop making excuses for our failures. Our gift of Jesus might be ...

642. Ephesians 1:15-23

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... long-entrenched barriers between Jew and Gentile have been successfully breached by their common faith in Jesus Christ. This extraordinary faithfulness and manifest love inspires Paul to “give thanks” for these disciples whenever he prays (“I do not cease to give thanks”). Paul’s prayers of thankfulness now are coupled with an intercessory prayer for these Ephesian Christians. There is no lack of confidence in Paul’s intercessory prayer. The apostle’s ongoing mission and the continued faith ...

643. The Outstretched Arms

John 19:28-37, John 19:17-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in Jesus Christ. In Christ we encounter the true character of God - his love, his humility, his meekness. Through we mock him and rail against him, though we crucify him in our hearts as if he were one of those who crucified his Son, he will never cease to forgive us. That is the God revealed in Jesus Christ, and in the end the hardest of hearts among us shall find it an irresistible revelation of irresistible love." By forcing us to confront our own pain and suffering, Augustine’s "classic theory" of the ...

644. How to Play Fair in Foul Play

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... their level. If you have to cast a stone, be sure to miss." 3. No one ever gets what they deserve in life not the rich, not the poor; not the well, not the sick. 4. Hope for the best, while you prepare for the worst. 5. Pray without ceasing. Paul asked his friends to "strive together with me in your prayers" (Romans 15:30). 6. Keep a sense of humor; it carries us through the rough times. Someone once said, Children are a wonderful way to start people." The story of the Roman Catholic bishop who was visiting ...

645. Who Is the Good Samaritan?

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... way Jesus as the Good Samaritan shows all of us how to fulfill the first commandment so entirely that we can attain the eternal life we so desperately seek. Paul encapsulated this well when he stated: His purpose in dying for all was that [people], while still in life, should cease to live for themselves, and should live for him who for their sake died and was raised to life. (2 Cor. 5:15NEB] Now, "go and do likewise."

646. The Problem of Unanswered Prayer

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... act of praying. Prayer is not something we do with our lips - prayer is something we do with our lives. The point is not to say the Lord's Prayer. The point is to be the Lord's Prayer. Prayer is our faith in action. To pray without ceasing doesn't mean to keep praying without taking a break. It means that the constant bent and drift of our being should be towards God. If anything, prayer is not talking. Prayer is listening. Prayer changes things, because one of the first things it changes is us. It makes ...

647. Christ the Apple Tree

Isaiah 11:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Job 14:7 proclaims "For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease." This is the season where gilded trees and gleaming hopes both move into the midst of our homes and our lives. In the midst of this celebration, remember Dominus regnavit a ligno - "The Lord reigned from a tree." Sometime in the next week or two, if we haven't already, ...

648. Is Your Christmas Spirit a Controlled Substance?

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . No, Christians are not to rejoice just in December. Yes, Christians are to rejoice always. “Joy to the World” is a year-around song. No, Christians are not to pray primarily in experiences of extremity. Yes, Christians are to pray, “without ceasing.” No, Christians are not to give thanks at given times or during times of plenty. Yes, Christians are to give thanks “in all circumstances.” The Christmas spirit was borne of and is eternally reborn in the redeeming, renewing spirit of Christ ...

649. Was Jesus the First Buster?

Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... future, caught in traffic on the fast track, cut off from communities because we are too busy or too indifferent to get involved, the answer is we probably don't do much. Planning consultant and CEO of Search Technology, William B. Rouse, admits that "It never ceases to amaze me how much time people say they spend doing things they claim not to value. At the same time, they emphasize how little time they spend doing things they profess to value. People often tend to reflect wistfully on all the things they ...

650. Fifty-Fourth and Lexington

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... never failed me yet Never failed me yet Jesus' blood never failed me yet There's one thing I know For he loves me so.... Like a film loop, the song's final line fed into its first line, starting the tune over and over again without ceasing. The man's weak, old, untrained voice never wavered from pitch, never went flat, never changed key. The simple intervals of the tune were perfectly maintained for however long he sang. As a musician, Bryars was fascinated. He began thinking of ways he could arrange and ...

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