Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 651 to 675 of 1185 results

651. Epiphany 6

2 Kings 5:1-27, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, Mark 1:40-45

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... receives the prize." But winning demands a price. In this text Paul tells us the price we as Christians must pay to be a winner in life. Outline: You can be a winner if – a. You exercise self-control v. 25a. b. You discipline yourself vv. 26, 27. c. You pursue the Christian goal vv. 24, 25b. 2. Why be hard on yourself? (9:24-27). Need: The text calls for self-control and self-discipline. Paul indicates that he was mighty hard on himself: "I pommel my body and subdue it." (v. 27) This is not popular in our ...

652. Proper 19

Proverbs 1:20-33, James 3:1-12, Mark 8:27-30, Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... . 10. WORSHIP RESOURCES Psalm Of The Day: Psalm 19 "The heavens are telling the glory of God." (v. 1); Psalm 116; Psalm 116:1-8 Prayer Of The Day: O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity. Grant us the fullness of your grace that, pursuing what you have promised, we may share your heavenly glory." Hymn Of The Day: "Let Me Be Yours Forever"

653. Proper 15

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14, Psalm 111:1-10, John 6:51-58, Ephesians 5:15-20

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... our praise. All praise to you, God of wisdom, beauty, and truth. Amen PRAYER OF DEDICATION Creator and giver of all good things, we bring our offering of thanksgiving and declare our intentions to turn from evil and do good, to seek peace and pursue it. Teach us how to revere your name more fully through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION AND COMMEMORATION God of clouds and fire, Christ of passion and peace, Spirit of conflict and resolution, reveal yourself to us in all the circumstances ...

654. Proper 21

Psalm 91:1-16, Jeremiah 32:1-44, Luke 16:19-31, 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... Pastor: Friends, hear the Good News! Happy is the person whose hopes are in God. People: God loves and restores us, straightening us out. Pastor: Friends, believe the Good News! People: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Exhortation Run the race of faith. Pursue justice, prayerfulness, fidelity, love, courage, and gentleness. Take hold of eternal life. PRAYER OF THE DAY Speaker of all languages, help us to heed the law of Moses that we may live morally, the call of the prophets that we may seek justice ...

655. Proper 19

Exodus 14:19-31, Exodus 15:1-21, Matthew 18:21-35, Romans 14:1-12

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Old Testament - Exodus 15:1b-11, 20-21 First Lesson - The Israelites get safely through the sea but the water returns to cover the pursuing Egyptian army. Exodus 14:19-31 Second Lesson - Paul admonishes the Romans to forego judgment of one another since in the end God will judge us all. Romans 14:1-12 Gospel - Jesus makes it clear that we are not to expect forgiveness from God if we can not forgive ...

656. Proper 24

Matthew 22:15-22, Psalm 99:1-9, Exodus 33:12-23, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... consolation. Spare the church from self-appointed critics who delight in tearing down and ripping apart. May your loving Spirit teach each of us how to please our fellow members in the church for the good purpose of building them up. Let us as a denomination pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. We pray for those who serve on the frontiers of the church, who, like the apostle Paul, make frequent journeys, in danger by boat or car or plane, in danger of violence from bandits, in danger from ...

657. Heavenly Bread and Earthly Bread

John 6:51-58

Illustration

Alex Gondola

... . It's admirable, really. The "body is a temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19, RSV). But I wonder if this obsession with getting food into us, and then getting those unwanted pounds off of us, isn't perhaps symptomatic of something else. We may pursue the material when what we really need is spiritual. The hunger that drives us to cookbooks and restaurants (and then, to diet clubs or health clubs), the emptiness we try to pack with possessions, the way we may try to fill ourselves up with more ...

658. Did You Know...That You Can Know God?

1 John 2:3-5

Sermon

James Merritt

... , when you know God you will steer your life by His commandments. Your life will be guided by what God says and the more God sees that you want to be guided by what He says, the more He will say to you, when you listen to His word. Finally, Pursue God's Pleasure. James 4:8 says, "Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you." (James 4:8, NLT) There are two things that really please God - when you trust Him and when you obey Him. That is the way you really go after God. That is ...

659. It’s Humble or the Umbles

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... love, divine sacrifice, divinely-gifted salvation. At the height of the “cold war,” the secret battles fought between opposing wanna-be world forces brought new, insidious types of warfare to the forefront. Between 1954 and 1973 the US military pursued a course of investigation into the possibilities of waging biological warfare, a research project that became known as “Operation Whitecoat.” The name was gleaned from the human volunteers the program obtained to conduct its research. After World War ...

660. The Paralysis of Analysis – The Fear of Failure

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Sermon

James Merritt

... . Claustrophobia - The fear of confined spaces. Dentophobia - The fear of dentists Pentheraphobia - The fear of your mother-in-law Homilophobia - The fear of sermons Arachibutyrophobia - The fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Luposlipaphobia - The fear of being pursued by timber wolves around a kitchen table while wearing socks on a freshly waxed floor. There is no question that fear is real. The Bible is not silent on the subject of fear. II Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not ...

661. No Doubt about It

John 20:24-29

Sermon

James Merritt

... continue in my doubt." An honest doubter on the other hand says, "I doubt whether or not something is true, but I'm willing to investigate the facts to see if perhaps my doubt is unjustified." True doubt never ignores the facts; it stubbornly pursues the truth. There is something healthy about doing your own investigation. Thomas was not going to believe what other people believed just simply because they told him. He wanted to investigate for himself. He wanted to touch the hands of Jesus, feel the scars ...

662. Mary: The Promise Conceived

Luke 1:26-55

Sermon

James Merritt

... :48 NASB) She was, but it wasn't because of anything she did. The reason we know about Mary is because of what the angel first said to her in verse 28, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28, NASB) The word, "favored" literally means, "pursued with grace." The real reason why Mary was chosen by God was simply grace. Because of grace, she found favor with God and because of grace you can find favor with God as well. Some people think Mary was saved because she had the Son of God. She wasn ...

663. The King and His Kingdom

Matthew 6:33

Sermon

James Merritt

... from the castle of your heart when Jesus is the king of the throne of your life. So when Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God" He in essence told you and me what our number one priority in life ought to be. The word seek means "to actively pursue" or "to go after." It is in the present tense. That means every moment of your life you should be seeking first the rule of God in your life. If you are a male you ought to be a kingdom man. If you are a female you ought to be ...

664. The God of War and Peace

1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-49

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... is comfortable with military imagery to describe his person and activity in the world, which, in some cases, apparently includes actual warfare. One dramatic place this shows up in the Old Testament is after the Egyptian army drowned in the Red Sea while pursuing Israel, who had passed across on dry land. In the song of rejoicing that Moses and the people sang afterward is this line: "The Lord is a warrior" (Exodus 15:3). There would have been no successful exodus from Egyptian slavery for Israel without ...

665. Can't We All Just Get Along?

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... watching a basketball game and drinking malt liquor at a friend’s house. As King drove, his blood alcohol level was nearly two and half times the legal limit. At 12:30 a.m. two Highway Patrol officers spotted King’s car speeding. They pursued at speeds in excess of 100 mph. According to King’s own statements, he refused to pull the car over because a DUI would violate his parole for a previous robbery conviction. King exited the freeway, and the chase continued through residential streets at speeds ...

666. What Gift Do You Bring?

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

... can go no further." But yet, people like Reinhold Messner say, "I am going on." And he does so. He does not let failure detour him. He is not put off when people say, "You can't!" He continues to go on. He finds a way. He pursues. He perseveres. He persists. It is somewhat like a bunch of wise guys 2,000 ago who marched through hostile territory, not knowing exactly that for which they were looking. They were subject to lies, deceit, corruption, and theological ineptitude, but they kept on until they found ...

667. Those Who Doubt

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... not miss the least little thing! One wonders if Thomas had the spiritual stamina to look into them more than an instant. More decisively, could you and I hold up under such pressure? We might be tempted to run but where would we go? We do well to pursue the matter of Jesus' presence and our reaction. Not likely have many of us had an experience close to that of Thomas. That is not as relevant and timely as our understanding that the Lord comes to us and spiritually shows us his nail prints and wounded side ...

668. A Breadbasket Full of Goodies

John 6:25-35

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... day. How sad it is when we as wayward children put other "needs" ahead of this need for the Bread of Life made known in the person of Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is the only real need that we have to live a life of eternal blessing. Yet, we pursue cars and homes and all manner of expensive toys and in the process neglect the importance of returning thanks to the giver of all good gifts for the only thing that really matters for eternity. It is sort of like going into the public library and seeing all the ...

669. Triumphing over Obstacles

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... a time for us to get going again. It is a time to overcome obstacles; it is a time, as Paul rightly states, to (5:20c) "be reconciled with God." We must overcome the obstacles of today's world and its mixed up priorities that hinder us from pursuing prayer, fasting and almsgiving as vehicles to a greater union with God. This is not an easy task, especially when many voices in various forms seek to tell us of the emptiness and fallacy of our beliefs. But we must hold fast and continue, and as the Pauline ...

670. Be Reconciled — To Christ and Others

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... cross as a sign of his welcome of us when we have strayed off the path that leads to life. All that is necessary to achieve this reconciliation is for us to ask. The final step in the process of reconciliation might not seem obvious. God has pursued us and we have found reconciliation within ourselves, with others, and with God. One thing more is required, however; we need to look to the future. The positive message of the prophets is to look to the future. After predictions of doom the prophets say that ...

671. All Is New in Christ

John 11:4-6, Philippians 3:4-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to the right of the rock formation, he spied a lion. Instinct kicked in and Androclus ran, praying all the while that the animal had eaten recently. Hearing no sound of pursuit, he slowed down and the stopped. Looking back, he saw the lion had not pursued him. Its only movement was to roll its head looking at him with a rather mournful countenance. Slowly Androclus retraced his steps. The lion was in pain. He spoke softly to the lion, stroking his mane and back, and looking for some injury. Finally he found ...

672. The Hard Sell

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... our hearts and minds. Our perceptions and perspectives can be outlandishly wrong. But we certainly do have a glimpse, don’t we? We are not blind beggars with no shepherd and physician. The Holy Spirit is among us and the law of the Savior’s love pursues us, seeking our healing submission. At the beginning of Lent, it is time to move beyond our convenient and well-accepted Christian practice. It is time to move boldly (or humbly) away from showing others we belong to Christ and to please watch what we do ...

673. The Boy Grows Up

1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... of volunteer service that changed both a community and a young life.4 True mentors are a life-affirming source of guidance and inspiration. They are "artists of encouragement," who help us discover what is unique about our lives and encourage us to pursue it. These spiritual guides are all around us, waiting to give generously of themselves. God has gifted you with talents and abilities you can share with others. Reach out to another individual and change a life. One person at a time over your lifetime ...

674. Who Will Go?

Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... with gifts and graces for the special calling that is ours. This is how we actively fulfill God's plan for our lives as we work among God's human family members. At a young age, Rick Curry felt called to be a Jesuit priest. As he pursued holy orders, he was told that the priesthood was not open to him. The reason? He had been born without a right hand and forearm, a handicapping condition that would render him incapable of elevating and breaking the communion bread during mass. The Jesuits did welcome him ...

675. The Sign of God

Amos 7:7-17

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Most of us have wrestled with questions like these at one time or another: What career should I pursue? Whom should I marry? Where should I attend college? What church should I attend? Should we have another child? Should I accept a job offer that moves my family far away from our hometown? What community responsibilities should I accept? And so on … You recognize, of course, that questions of ...

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