Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 626 to 650 of 4939 results

626. The Greatest Story Ever Told

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... booth, closed the curtain and spent all she could on pictures of herself. Stuffing these into her purse she boarded the next bus for Rio. Maria knew Christina had no way of earning money. She also knew her daughter was too stubborn to give up. When pride meets hunger, a person will sometimes do things that were unthinkable before. Knowing this, Maria began her search...bars, hotels, nightclubs, any place with a reputation for street walkers and prostitutes. At each place she left her picture--taped on a ...

627. The Centurion - Arranging Death, Announcing Life

Mark 15:33-41

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

... him as your Lord, and serve him as your King. I know it was a dark day for his followers when they saw Jesus die on that Cross. But that was when I began to see that Jesus is the King who rules by love, love that he shared by giving up his life on that Cross. Tradition says that later I was such an ardent believer that I became a bishop in the church and died a martyr’s death. Be that as it may, what matters is that you heard what I did say, on that day when Jesus died ...

628. Called to Be Saints

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... you - walk over them! It is not easy to be meek. It is not easy to surrender one’s self to God. Is there not something in the human psyche which cries out to be left untouched? "My personality is mine; I cannot give it up." Again: "If I give up my essential self, what have I left?" The meek are those who have discovered that only by giving away does one come into full possession of a greater self. Trivia no longer dominates. God is all-important. Oh, the world will continue to say of the meek just what ...

629. Time To Do Something About The Piano

John 3:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... independence even when that independence brings me no real freedom. I love Jesus but do not want to lose the respect of my professional colleagues, even though I know that their respect does not make me grow spiritually. I love Jesus but do not want to give up my writing plans, travel plans, and speaking plans, even when these plans are often more to my glory that to the glory of God." Upon reflection Father Nouwen realizes that he isn't all that different from Nicodemus. He writes, "So I am like Nicodemus ...

630. Joy to the World

Mark 16:1-8

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... Peter tried the hardest and failed the worst. If I know Peter, which is to say, if Peter is like me, Peter now feels the worst. So the angel tells the women, "Go tell the disciples and be sure you tell Peter. Especially tell Peter that I will not give up on him. I will come and be with him in Galilee." This scene has a name. It is called the "Rehabilitation of Peter." It appears in several gospels. The Gospel of John has a much more elaborate rehabilitation of Peter. It is wonderful. Let me tell you about ...

631. Mystery

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... though the official winter solstice has passed, it's still dark when we get up in the morning, then the short winter day is distinguished here in western Washington only by a slightly paler shade of damp grey, and finally the slight daylight gives up and plunges us back into total darkness about four in the afternoon. So though the tree comes down, the lights stay up through Epiphany. Then those same lights give birthday greetings to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And there's nothing wrong with celebrating ...

632. The World's Best Hearing Aid

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... at the end. However, no one responded to the appeal. Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man's side. "That was a nice story," politely stated one of them, "but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian." "Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied glancing down at his worn bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face. He once again looked up at the boys and said ...

633. Don't Forget to Forgive

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

James Merritt

... the offender and the offense away into the hands of God, and let God take care of the matter. Psychologists and ministers alike now agree that there is only one cure for the cancer of bitterness, and that is forgiveness. Dr. Archibald Hart defines forgiveness as: "Giving up my right to hurt you for hurting me."1 Now the Apostle Peter asked the question that many people would like to ask, but sometimes are too ashamed to ask. His question was: "How many times do I have to forgive a brother who sins against ...

634. Just Know Him In His Visible Return

Revelation 1:7-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... saint in heaven, every sinner in hell, every human on earth will see Jesus when he comes again. The astronauts in outer space will see him. The sailors on the submarine will see him. The blind will have their eyes opened to see him. The sea will give up their dead. The cemeteries will be opened. West minister abbey will give forth its noble diseased. The catacombs of Rome will disgorge their dead. The mummies of Egypt will be unwrapped and all of the dead of all of the ages will see his coming. Every eye ...

635. Pursue the Life That Really Is Life

1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . M Scott Peck's book The Road Less Traveled begins with three words. Three profoundly true words: "Life is hard." And because "Life is hard" we need endurance. Endurance is the spiritual tenacity and fortitude to hang on when everyone else says let go and give up. It employs faith. And remember: "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." We need to be like the Energizer Bunny, not the annoying part, but the part that goes on and on despite set backs and failures. B ...

636. Come Clean

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... open and vulnerable, we need not be afraid. For God’s promise in Joel is that God is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (v. 13). I relish the words, “abounding in steadfast love.” To me, they mean that God does not give up on us and is always willing to pour out gifts of love and grace lavishly. All we must do is receive them. I heard about a woman who opened herself to God’s abound- ing love and received far more than she ever expected. She had become active ...

637. A Man Under Authority / A Centurion's Faith, An Elder's Love

Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to another. “My yoke is easy, my burden light,” says Jesus. Leaders carry the weight of another. Leaders care for their servants, and take the responsibility for the welfare of others. Leaders are the most humble servants. In this case, the Centurion gives up his responsibility to Jesus, one who is far more powerful and prestigious than he. His plea might be equivalent to our prayer. The Centurion encounters Jesus face-to-face through the guidance of the Jewish elders. We might encounter Jesus face-to ...

638. Stop the PANIC!

Luke 15:1-32 · Exodux 15:1-27--16:36 · Psalm 23

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... west willing to wait until it declines to the point of no return? Before it decides to change? Before it is willing to give up its comfort zone in order to embrace a new kind of future that may feel scary, uncomfortable, risky, or unknown? 40 years? Yes ... is the God who is there, the God who is with me all of my days, the God who is relentless, the Shepherd who will never give up searching for His sheep, who cares for them and loves them to the end of their days, even in the midst of their grumbling. In our ...

639. The Phrase We Never Want to Hear

John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... that King’s house would be bombed in three days if they didn’t get out of town. Fear filled Dr. King as he thought about the danger facing him and his family if he continued to follow God’s calling. He wanted to run away. He wanted to give up. He began praying to God and confessing his fear and his weakness. And he said he sensed an inner voice saying, “Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And lo, I will be with you, even until the end of the world ...

640. Desperate Times Call For...

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... help. They came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” At this Jesus answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” I am surprised this woman was not crushed at Jesus’ response. However, she didn’t give up. She came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. And he replied with another crushing remark: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Now it’s time for Jesus to be surprised. “Yes it is, Lord ...

641. Growing Into Our Scars

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Mary Austin

... was: “Peace be with you.” Don’t fret, he was saying. Don’t get stuck in the past. The one with the scars is also the one with the ability to heal. Thomas spoke to us about doubt, which we all have, but also about the power of not giving up. He missed the big reveal when Jesus came the first time. Instead of saying “oh well,” and moving on, Thomas asked for what the other disciples got. He wanted to see for himself. For the disciples, Jesus’ death was a kind of death for them, too. They had to ...

642. Saving A Church

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

... sure that the wrote: Special Delivery. There is a sense of urgency about this letter. The moment you open the letter up you know why. Hold on, it says. How many times does the author write—hold on. Don’t shrink back. Don’t despair. Don’t give up. Stir up each other. Encourage each other. Don’t stop going to your worship assemblies. Don’t get discouraged. All the way through that is the tone. The writer, who is a pastor, is trying his best to revive a church. What is wrong with the church? When ...

643. Saving A Church

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

644. Not the Seasons for Figs

Mark 11:12-19

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... ’ve got lots of leaves. The question is not, “Where’s the beef?” as the old commercial had it, but “Where’s the fruit?” A church in Kansas City is reported to have the following slogan: “Wake up, sing up, preach up, pray up, stay up, pay up, but never give up or let up or shut up until the cause of Christ in this church and in the world is built up.”

645. Going Ahead Anyway

Matthew 2:1-12, Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... to work around it. It's the only solution we have ever had. Evil is here to stay. However, that does not mean it is time to give up or give in. Instead, it is time to recommit ourselves to what is right and good and compassionate, and to work in whatever ways we can to ... make a decision. Will we let the presence of evil in all its many forms cause us to back down or step back or give up, or will we recognize the problems but go ahead anyway? It's not a hypothetical situation. It's the reality in which we live ...

646. Eating Living Bread

John 6:25-59

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... in Christ. C. Fully Nourished. The life that fully understands and is committed to following Christ in all of life. 4. Where Do You Abide? (v. 56) A. Abiding in Christ. B. Christ Abiding in Us. C. Abiding Forever. 5. Living Forever. (v. 58) A. Shedding the Past. Giving up the sin and guilt that lead to death. B. Living in the Present. Trusting God to forgive and allow us to begin anew every day in faithfulness. C. Hope for the Future. We live without fear of all the evil forces in the world because we have ...

647. Standard Building Codes

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

James Merritt

... , Jesus did not mean this literally. If He did, we would all be blind and we would all be crippled. In Jewish culture, the right eye represented the person's best eye and the right hand represented the person's strongest hand. What Jesus was saying was, "You give up anything you have to, to protect your heart, your body, your soul, your purity, and if you are married, your marriage. The word for "sin" in verse 29 is a word that was used to describe a bait stick that would spring a trap whenever an animal ...

648. Houston We Have a Problem

Nehemiah 1:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... it himself. That is the difference between dreamers and leaders. Dreamers dream about things being different. Leaders determine to make a difference. I also want to give you a warning. Answered prayer and rebuilt walls always come with a cost. Nehemiah was going to have to give up that corner office, that corporate card, the company chariot and go to a city he had never seen, to a people he did not know, take a two month trip across the dessert filled with danger and lay his life on the line. There is a ...

649. Putting Ourselves into the Picture

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... you is going to bring it to completion. His word is clear. I will never leave you nor forsake you. So whatever is going on in your life today, whatever adversity you may be experiencing, whatever sorrow and pain you may know, whatever frustration is confronting you, don’t give up. Don’t lose faith. God, the God whom we serve, is a faithful God. He is the God who delivered his people out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, and he will do the same for us. He is the God of the covenant, whose promise is ...

650. Perks for Following Jesus

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... without making hard decisions. And yet deciding is the most god-like characteristic which the Creator has bestowed upon us. If being created in His image means anything at all, it means we have the ability to choose. Not to choose means giving up that which makes us peculiarly human. Drinking from his cup means making the hard decisions no one else is willing to make. British newspaper columnist Oliver Burkeman said he gained new insight on making major life decisions from therapist James Hollis. Most ...

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