Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 626 to 650 of 1533 results

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, John 12:20-36

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Jeremiah 31:31-34 Theme: The new covenant of the heart, the new law within Exegetical Note In a manner uncharacteristic of the Old Testament, Jeremiah here depicts God, not as calling Israel or Judah back to the Mosaic covenant, but as giving up on the law as hopelessly broken, and announcing a future new covenant, not of external knowledge of and obedience to tablets and codes, but of internal responsiveness to the will of God instilled in human hearts. Call to Worship Leader: Let us worship ...

627. The Gift

Drama

Esther Lense

If the church’s seating arrangement allows, have all the children of the pre-school through the sixth grade sit together on one side of the chancel, with the junior choir on the other side. As the program opens, the children of the pre-school through sixth grade face the congregation and sing Come and Hear the Grand Old Story. As they sing, the "family" characters enter and arrange themselves on the chancel or stage. The school children are seated, and the spotlight focuses on the chancel. A mother and ...

628. Spiritual Blindness

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"Go your way; your faith has made you well." (v. 52) Blind Bartimaeus! What a haunting theme; what a never-to-be-forgotten scene. It is the concluding narrative in Mark. The setting is Jericho, some fifteen miles from Jerusalem. The point of this dramatic occurrence is simple: Only a blind man saw Jesus. The Sermon At one time, every minister has preached on this text. How could any clergyperson be so unimaginative as to miss it? How vividly I recall a sermon I preached. My parishioners congratulated me on ...

629. The Communion of Saints

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

Whenever we confess our faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed, we include the affirmation: "I believe in the communion of saints." What do we mean when we say this? Who are the saints? And what is the "communion" of saints? All Saints’ Day prompts us to look for an answer to these questions. According to the New Testament, the saints are not a select group of persons with haloes around their heads. They are simply the members of the Christian fellowship, men and women who live by faith in Jesus Christ ...

630. Secondhand Religion

1 Kings 17:7-24

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

The life of Elijah is filled with fascinating experiences that help us to see God more clearly and live on a higher plane. Today’s Scripture reading is a good example of that. In a nation whose laws required its citizens to provide for the prophets, God used saucy, impudent birds noted for their thievery and dirty lifestyle to feed Elijah. “The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening” (1 Kings 17:6). Ravens live off dead carcasses and steal food stored up by ...

631. Deformed, Disfigured, and Despised: A Marred but Magnificent Messiah

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

The prophet gives the report, but who will believe it? The servant will act wisely. He will be lifted up and exalted. The problem is the new Messiah does not fit the description of the Holy One of Israel, the gallant one, the defiant and courageous who shall lift God’s people out of the dregs of despair. He shall not come as one standing upright, but one who is disfigured and deformed, despised and rejected; a man of sorrows acquainted with grief. Who would believe such a report? That God would choose a ...

632. Christian Liberty

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Brett Blair

Jesus died penniless. Roman soldiers cast lots to divide among themselves Jesus' only possessions--the clothes on his back. And he looked at his disciples and said, blessed are you who are poor. Jesus died hungry. There is no record that Jesus had anything to eat the day of his death. What we call The Last Supper on Thursday evening may very well have been Jesus' last meal. He died on the cross Friday at sunset with an empty stomach. Looking at his disciples he said, blessed are you who hunger now. Jesus ...

633. The Lord's Prayer: Thy Kingdom Come

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Have you been watching the Olympics? I have...some. I am a sports fan. And even though these winter events do not have the same appeal for me as some others, I still watch. I am glad that Dan Jansen finally won a medal. After so many tries, on his last ever attempt, he came through. Strange, isn't it - here is a man who is recognized in speed skating as the best sprinter in the world, but just because he had never won an Olympic medal, people asked, "What's wrong with Dan?" Just three weeks ago, the most ...

634. The Jump to Judgment

Matthew 7:1-6

Sermon

David E. Leininger

I heard a story once. A Mr. Jones picked up the wrong umbrella in a hotel, and the umbrella's rightful owner called his attention to it. Embarrassed, Mr. Jones offered his apologies, picked up the right one, and went on his way. But the incident served to remind Mr. Jones that he had promised to buy umbrellas for his wife and daughter, so he went across the street to a store and purchased one for each of them. As he came out from the store and began to get in his car - THREE umbrellas on his arm now - the ...

635. How Shall We Prepare Ourselves For Christmas

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

One Sunday morning, a neatly dressed man disrupted a worship service in a suburban church. Right in the middle of the service, the man stood up in the balcony and shouted in a clear voice, "I have a word from the Lord!" Immediately alert and ready, ushers sprang like gazelles up the balcony stairs and escorted the man out the front doors of the church and into the street. Thomas Long of Princeton Seminary, commenting on this event, says, "There's a kind of irony here. Week after week, those of us who ...

636. Rise Above It

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon

King Duncan

Nothing perplexes the sensitive heart more than the problem of human suffering. Studdert-Kennedy used to say that anyone who was undisturbed by the problem of pain was suffering from one of two things: either from a hardening of the heart, or a softening of the brain. He's absolutely right. Is there any purpose to pain? Any advantage to adversity? Any solace in suffering? "Don't be discouraged, Charlie Brown," Schroeder tells him. "These early defeats help to build character for later on in life." "For ...

637. Persistence In Prayer

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

I believe you will agree with me that this is one election season that all of us will be happy to see come to an end. One of the candidates for president . . . I won’t say which one . . . was campaigning in West Virginia recently. Some of the coal miners were not real happy about it when the candidate asked for their vote. “Vote for you?” one of them jeered. “Why, I’d sooner vote for the Devil!” “Fair enough!” called out the candidate, “But in the event that your friend doesn’t run, may I have your ...

638. How Do You Know?

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

King Duncan

People are kind of funny, aren't they? I was just thinking of how many businesses in Utah have joined with the tourist bureau to urge residents of that magnificent state to spend their vacation dollars at home. One such promotion, sponsored by a food-store chain, was a photo contest. The theme was "Travel Utah First." The grand prize was a trip to Hawaii. (1) Preaching is so much easier than practicing, isn't it? That's why the little word "if" is so important in our lesson for today. "If" anyone is in ...

639. When More Is Never Enough

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Linus is philosophizing with Lucy. "Life is peculiar," he says. "Wouldn't you like to have your life to live over if you knew what you know now?" Lucy stares off blankly, then asks, "What do I know now?" E. Stanley Jones once told of being on a cruise ship. There was a rather corpulent couple on that cruise who seemed to live from one meal to the next. They were retired and obviously had plenty of money, but they seemed miserable. They were always angry with the table stewards for not giving them super- ...

640. Let My Little Light Shine

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

King Duncan

There are all kinds of theories about how to motivate people. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton hadn't won a game in eight weeks. A critical member of the press was suggesting that he be dropped from the starting rotation. The future looked bleak, and Sutton felt terrible. Then, before a game, Dodgers manager Walter Alston tapped him on the shoulder. "I'd like to speak with you, Don," he said. Sutton prepared himself for the worst. "Don," said Alston, "I know how the past couple of months have been ...

641. Who? Me Worry?

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

King Duncan

Very few families are more thankful, or have more to be thankful for, than the Chandler family of Mississippi. The late Charles Kuralt profiled the family a few Thanksgivings ago, when they all gathered from the corners of the U.S. to celebrate their parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary. Kuralt begins the story with the parents, Alex and Mary Chandler, an African-American couple, that raised their nine children in a one-room sharecropper's cabin in Mississippi. The family was poor, and faced many ...

642. Getting Rid Of Fear

2 Timonty 1:6-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever been afraid to drive over a high bridge? If so, you're not alone. In fact, some people are so afraid of bridges that they will drive hours out of their way to avoid them. Others try to cross but have a panic attack in the middle of a bridge and can't go on. They block traffic. Because of this, the operators of some of the longest and highest spans in America now offer a driving service. On request, one of the bridge attendants will get behind the wheel and drive your car over the terrifying ...

643. Where Is Your Heart?

Luke 12:22-34

Sermon

King Duncan

It's a classic children's story told time and time again. A little boy is asked by his kindergarten teacher where his heart is. He points to the seat of his pants. "Why do you say that is where your heart is?" asks the kindergarten teacher. "Because," said the little boy, "My grandmother is always patting me there and saying, ˜Bless your little heart.'" There is no more relevant question that we can ask than this one: "Where is your heart?" SOME OF YOU WOULD SAY THAT YOUR HEART IS WITH YOUR FAMILY. And ...

644. Family Survival

Genesis 37:1-11

Sermon

Stephen DeFur

This morning I want to spend a few moments talking about families. And to do that, I want us to look at a family in the Bible. It is the family of the Old Testament character, Joseph. Joseph's family was an imperfect one much like yours and mine. So we start with Genesis, Chapter 37, verse 1. "Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bihah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph had brought a bad report of them to their father." ...

645. How To Love

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

You can learn things being around children. Here are some truths one father learned: There is no such thing as child-proofing your house. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long ways. Glass windows (even double pane) don't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan. If you use a waterbed as a home plate while wearing baseball shoes, it does not leak. It explodes. A king-size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2,000 sq. ft. house almost 4 inches ...

646. 'Thanking" About Thanksgiving

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

King Duncan

A teacher, Lisa Trewhitt Earby of Cleveland, Tennessee, tells about reading one-on-one with a first grade student who encountered the words "thank you" for the first time in print. Hoping the student would use some of her newly learned reading strategies, Lisa gave the girl plenty of time to work out the words herself. After a few moments, though, Lisa decided to tell her the word "thank." When she didn't respond, Lisa said more emphatically, "Thank." The little girl responded in her native Tennessee ...

647. Playing The Comparison Game

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

A company chartered a ship for its top sales people. These sales people swarmed aboard and headed for their cabins. Minutes later one of them was on deck demanding to see the Captain. One of the officers asked if he could help. "My friend has a much better cabin!" the salesman said. "I did as good a job as he did and I want a cabin just like his." "Sir," the officer replied, "The cabins are identical." "Yeah," said the man, "but his cabin looks out on the ocean and my cabin looks out on this old dock." ...

648. A Picture Of A King

Psalm 72:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Two centuries before Christ, King Ptolemy of Egypt wanted a lighthouse built in Alexandria, Egypt. Ptolemy was a proud king. He wanted his name engraved at the top of the lighthouse. The builder carried out his orders, but first, he carved his own name in the stone. Then he plastered over his name and engraved the name of the king. The salt spray, wind, and rain gradually loosened the plaster, which erased the king's name completely. This left only the real builder's name. The builder had the last laugh, ...

649. Only the Abba Knows

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I originally thought of titling this sermon “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Apocalyptic Eschatology,” but discarded that idea, for fear that there might be one or two who might not know what I was talking about. Actually, that is exactly what this sermon is about: “Apocalyptic Eschatology.” “Eschatology”-the study of the “last things,” and “Apocalyptic” - a revelation, unveiling, uncovering. The last book of the Bible, which we call “Revelation” is also titled “Apocalypse,” because that is its ...

650. Connected to Christ: I Am the Vine

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Today, we bring to a close our series on the seven "I am . . ." statements found in the gospel according to Saint John. As we have learned, these claims were deeply rooted in the Old Testament. As a matter of fact John uses the name of God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. When Moses was on the mountain, God spoke to him from the bush and said, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ''I Am has sent me to you.''" In John''s gospel--Jesus speaks these words not only to the nation ...

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