Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 626 to 650 of 1285 results

Mt 6:1-6, 16-21 · 2 Cor 5:20b--6:10 · Ps 51:1-17 · Jl 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon Aid

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

... (1c) and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (2a) God (2b) in Christ was reconciling the world to himself (2c) and establishing among us the word of reconciliation. Then, in 5:20-6:2 Paul builds on the third element (item "c") of the double statements. Paul declares what his ministry is about and gives details about his doing of the ministry of reconciliation. Paul does not speak abstractly, but with the current situation in view; so that, finally, he takes Isaiah 49:8 as a text to argue (in ...

627. Easter 6

Psalm 66:1-20, Acts 17:16-34, 1 Peter 3:8-22, John 14:15-31

Sermon Aid

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

... God turns out to be one of the most narrowly focused claims in scripture. Coming to terms with the complex content and the pointed tone of this passage may be difficult, but it will reward those who wrestle with the issues it raises. Psalm 66:8-20 - "Double-Barreled Piety" Setting. This is a complex psalm, which may have been prepared for use by a relatively affluent person who came to the Temple to discharge vows that he or she had made. The fatlings, rams, bulls, and goats in vv. 13-15 were exceptional ...

628. Proper 7

Psalm 86:1-17, Romans 6:1-14, Matthew 10:1-42, Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon Aid

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

... the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons." Matthew's sequence is noteworthy. He reported a similar remark in 9:34, but the name Beelzebul does not occur in that passage; so that this prediction by Jesus becomes a double-prediction, part of which will be fulfilled in the telling of the rest of the Gospel story. In turn, for later Christians who experienced persecution, these words from Jesus would reinforce the validity of their discipleship. Experiencing hostility is not an indication ...

629. Proper 18

Psalm 149:1-9, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 18:15-20, Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon Aid

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

... [Eucharist] his dying love record." Funeral scenes in Egyptian tombs frequently depict the eldest son making offerings for the soul of the deceased father. Some scholars maintain that only the eldest son could perform this salvific loss of the Egyptian firstborn was a double tragedy, because not only was the earthly future made insecure, the heavenly one was also cast into doubt. The preacher may wish to explore this in terms of the christological reversal in which it is the death of the only-begotten that ...

630. Proper 22

Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 3:1-11, Psalm 19:1-14

Sermon Aid

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

... in this life. That is for the future; but in the present, in faith, he presses on. If we hear Paul well, we understand that the call to Christ is not an order to be "at ease"; rather, we are called to move on, perhaps in "double time." Paul seems assured of the Philippians' capacity to hear, because he believes that whatever understanding they enjoy comes to them from the work of God among them; and God's work ultimately unites believers, despite the differences that Paul recognizes and that motivates his ...

631. Do You Have It

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... living a life, putting theory into praxis, that is good, right, and true. This is a positive posture on the part of the faithful, a responsibility embraced and embodied, that we might achieve what is "pleasing to the Lord." Verse 11 offers a double directive. First, those who embody "the light" are to have no participation in any activity that might smack of "darkness." But coupled with this prohibition is the admonition to "expose" these wrong-doings. The verb "elegcho" has several nuances. It can mean "to ...

632. Matthew 21:1-11 - Roll Out the Green Carpet

Matthew 21:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... foal” had not been ridden before, making the presence of its mother in Matthew’s gospel a logical, and compassionate, calming device for a skittish young animal unused to being ridden or to big crowds. But Matthew also has a penchant for doubling characters (8:28-34; 20:29-34) in order to provide an adequate number of witnesses, as required by Jewish law. Whether these donkeys are “witnesses” or not, recording two animals here certainly succeeds in emphasizing the uniqueness of Jesus’ choice of ...

633. Running into Jesus

Matthew 21:1-11

Illustration

Joanna Adams

... came to the foot clinic every week. He brushed me aside, saying, "I figure I have a better chance of running into Jesus here than most places. That's all." I watched him week after week. I realized as I watched him that I was developing my own sort of double vision. I was seeing Christ in the stranger that he served. I was also seeing Christ in the one who was finding deep meaning in his life through serving others.

634. Jesus Wuvs Me and Dat's Dat

John 15:1-5

Sermon

James W. Moore

... . Watch his gills gasp and scales dry. Is he happy? No! How do you make him happy? Do you cover him with a mountain of cash? Do you get him a beach chair and sunglasses? Do you bring him a Playfish magazine and a martini? Do you wardrobe him in double-breasted fins and people-skinned shoes? Of course not! So, how do you make him happy? You put him back in his element. That’s what you do. You put him back in the water. He will never be happy on the beach because he was not made for the ...

635. That's What Jesus Does for Me

Psalm 139:7-12

Sermon

James W. Moore

... … even at the dropping off places of life. II. SECOND, AT THE PLACE OF DARKNESS… at the place of trouble, God is there for us also. In the last week of November in 1990, our daughter, Jodi, became extremely ill. She was nauseated, dehydrated and bent double with abdominal pain. The doctor took one look at her and put her in the hospital… all day Monday and Tuesday they ran tests, but no luck. They could not pinpoint the problem. Meanwhile Jodi was hurting more and more and getting weaker and weaker ...

636. The Gift of Newness

2 Corinthians 5:17-20

Sermon

James McCormick

... that we can face anything, deal with anything as long as we are not alone, as long as there are those who will lovingly share the experience with us. The good news is that God’s mathematics works like this: when we are in a caring community, our joys are doubled and our sorrows are cut in half. I can’t tell you how much it means to have a group of people who are on my side, pulling for me. There is so much at work in the world to drag us down and to dull the divine image in ...

637. A Flock of Sheep or a Pack of Wolves?

Matthew 7:15-23

Illustration

John R. Brokhoff

... him, took him home, washed him, and put him to bed. The next day while the priest was conducting mass, Ugolin went to the river and drowned himself. When his sister found it out, she committed suicide. Though they were suicides, the priest planned a double funeral in the church, for he said, "Those children were not suicides. They have been murdered by society without mercy." The day came for the funeral and the priest went to the pulpit. While looking at everyone, he waited to begin the sermon. He began ...

638. Only in America

Galatians 5:1-15

Illustration

... can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance. Only in America do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions, while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front. Only in America do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a DIET coke. Only in America do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our junk in the garage. Hello. Only in America do we use voice mail to screen calls and have call-waiting so we won't ...

639. The Death That Ends All Death

1 Peter 3:18

Sermon

James Merritt

... it this way: "The just died for the unjust." Because the just died for the unjust, the unjust are now just. When the just died for the unjust, he made it possible for the unjust to be justified and thereby become just. Put simply, God's law makes a double demand on men. As saints they must obey it perfectly, or as sinners, they must pay its penalty. Mankind has done neither one, but Jesus Christ did both. In certain parts of the world, a merchant sells goods displayed on a counter or a table with no price ...

640. If I Only Had One Wish

2 Chronicles 1:1-12

Sermon

James Merritt

... first to what the wisest man in the world tells us about wisdom. I. Wisdom Is Available (You can find it if you seek it.) We are living in a world that is drowning in knowledge, yet starving for wisdom. Since 1955 knowledge has doubled every five years; libraries grown with the weight of new books....in fact, our generation possesses more data about the universe and human personality than all previous generations put together. High school graduates today have been exposed to more information about the world ...

641. Don't Sweat the Sin Debt

John 19:30

Sermon

James Merritt

... ." They would then take the certificate off the door, roll the certificate up, and give it to the prisoner. This was his proof that the full demands of the law had been met. He had suffered, he had paid in full, and he was never again to be brought into double jeopardy and tried for that crime again. That is the word that Jesus used on the cross when he said, "It is finished!" What He literally said was "Paid in full!" The devil does not want you to know your sin debt has been paid in full. He wants you ...

642. The Truth about Trouble

2 Timothy 4:16-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... so meaningful to me. It seems as if Tarzan was not himself, and Jane was very worried. It was apparent that Tarzan was developing a problem, a very serious problem. Tarzan had begun to drink. First, he started coming home after work and pouring himself a double shot of Scotch. From there he went to drinking bourbon, then he began to drink straight whiskey. Now this made no sense. Tarzan was very conscious of his health, he watched his diet, he swam at least three times a day, and worked out with alligators ...

643. The Power of Partnership

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Sermon

James Merritt

... of whether you fall down through something you do yourself, or you're knocked down because of the actions of others, you need someone who will be there to help pick you back up. There is an old Swedish proverb that says, "A shared joy is a double joy, and a shared sorrow is half a sorrow." Just this week I have spent hours on the phone with two different pastors; one pastor who is battling discouragement, and another pastor who has committed a moral failure, and has had to resign his church. When this ...

644. It Is Right To Fight When You Fight For Right

Jude 1:3-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... bit of a smile enlightened the old preacher's face, Being made the butt of a ridiculous cut did not ruffle his sweetness and grace; Then he turned to young Bate, so suave and sedate "Catch up, did my ears hear you say? Why I couldn't succeed if I doubled your speed; My friend, I'm not going your way." As long as I am preaching, I'm going to be lashed to the old rugged cross, preaching the old-fashion gospel, and contending for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. Because it is right ...

645. Don't Forget to Remember

Jude 1:5-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... out the same way they walk in, rebelling against the will of God, which is to be saved. I am not trying to say that our church is heaven, but I want to tell you that you can taste heaven every time you come into this church. It is a double tragedy for people to taste heaven and then go to hell. What is the point that Jude raises here? If angels cannot get away with rebellion and apostasy, neither can we. III. The Disgraceful Who Rebel Against The Ways Of God "As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around ...

646. God's Prescription for a Healthy Christian

Jude 1:17-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... respect..." The type of things that it's hard in one way to be against. They will lie, they will speak half-truths, they won't take a stand against popular opinion. Generally, they will be nice and they will act nice. They will engage in theological double talk. Their favorite song is "Love the one you're with." They know what to say; they know how to say it. Their greatest weapon is words. If you listen the apostate long enough he'll have you believing that he believes what you believe, and you believe ...

647. No Excuses

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

James Merritt

... cannot plow a straight furrow while looking back. You've got to keep your focus fixed and straight on the goal ahead of you. You cannot drive a car if you're always looking in the rearview mirror. Jesus said you cannot follow Him with a double mind, trying to look in two different directions at the same time. He wants your full attention, your full affection, your total allegiance. In just a moment I'm going to give you the greatest invitation, the greatest opportunity, the greatest privilege you're ever ...

648. Like a Good Neighbor, Jesus Is There

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

James Merritt

... newspaper decided to find out, and ran a test on U. S. Route One with a twenty-two year old actress, Sally Mullins, who played the distressed driver in five different roles: Career woman: standing by the side of her broken down Pontiac, dressed in a double-breasted suit, holding up a "stop and please help sign" - sixty-two cars passed and a minute and a half before a man pulled over and offered assistance. Pregnant woman: disguised with about eight months of padding under her blouse, this time more than one ...

649. What Impresses God

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... more than he was required. Then we read that he tithed everything that he possessed. Now the Old Testament only required that you tithe your income. But this man tithed everything that he earned and everything that he bought. In other words, he was a double tither. Now there is nothing wrong with fasting more than once a week, and there certainly is nothing wrong with giving more than a tithe. But the problem is, this man thought then what a lot of people think today—he thought his goodness gained him ...

650. Are You Going to Fish or Cut Bait?

Mark 1:16-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... lake? Incidentally, do you know where a good fisherman fishes? Anywhere he can find fish! Major League Baseball Player, José Alou recalls how he was playing shortstop for the San Francisco Giants in the 1962 World Series. New York Yankee, Bobby Richardson, slammed a double and landed on second base. Playing close to second, José heard Bobby call out, "José!" Well José thought to himself, "Now what would Richardson want with me in the middle of a World Series game? I knew he was a Christian. I couldn't ...

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