Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 676 to 700 of 1089 results

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... coats of heavy iron armor stand at attention all over the place. Armored warhorses with metal encased soldiers mounted on their backs are holding up hundreds and hundreds of pounds of “protection.” Medieval armory gradually grew to be a source of artistic expression. Metal workers took pride in the precision of their pieces, in the intricacy of their designs. Kings and noblemen commissioned fantastic suits of armor that were designed more for parade days than for the battlefields. Later armor became so ...

677. The Revolution Against Evolution

Genesis 1:1

Sermon

James Merritt

... makes no bones about it. It says this earth was divinely designed. If you look at this creation and don't see evidence of a Creator, don't blame the Creator. Don't blame the watchmaker if you don't see him behind the watch. Don't blame the artist if you don't see him behind the portrait. Don't blame the photographer if you don't see him behind the picture. Is this planet in this universe just accidental? Is it accidental that the inexhaustible envelope of air only 50 miles deep has exactly the right density ...

678. The Most Effective Communication

Mark 7:31-37

Illustration

Michael B. Brown

I heard a Christian recording artist on the radio recently talking about the most important influences in his life. He knows and has worked with all the most prominent Christian preachers, lecturers, authors and performers in the nation. But he said above and beyond them all, the single most profound influence in his life (in fact, ...

679. Misled By Beauty

1 Samuel 15:34-35, 16:1-13

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... Makeover, from the more than 10,000 applications the show receives for each opening, a person who is not especially good-looking is selected for a Cinderella-type experience. Using plastic surgeons, eye surgeons, cosmetic dentists, hair and makeup artists, clothes stylists, and other experts in the transforming arts, the person is indeed made to look more attractive. Often this involves things like having bulges removed, breasts augmented, teeth straightened, noses re-sculpted, hairpieces glued on, and so ...

680. A Good-bye Topping All Others

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... and serious Bible study carries the day for most of us. The ascending scene calls forth worship of him and a return to Jerusalem with great joy. So, our Lord puts the finishing touches to his ministry by an ascension which was unparalleled. In innumerable ways artists have tried to capture the momentous occurrence. It's fair to admit accuracy in all details will have to await another day and time. There are no living witnesses among us, but why should there be? They were told, and we as well, that the Holy ...

681. Welcome, Rich and Poor

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... lives that day and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart. He died instantly. He often talked about you and your love of art." The young man held out a package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father ...

682. Death to Glory

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... , O Mother." When the molten lead and iron were prepared, the girl was thrown into the mix. At last the bell maker had succeeded. The bell, called the Emille Bell, made a sound more beautiful than any other. When it rang, most people praised the artist who had produced the sound, but whenever the woman whose child was sacrificed heard it, her heart broke anew. Her neighbors, who knew of her sacrifice and pain, could not hear the tone without the pain, either. Only those who understand sacrifice can feel the ...

683. The Boy Grows Up

1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... and he acted like it. But, what had begun as punishment for a troublemaker turned into 787 hours 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 ...

684. Home at Last

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... the remnant of Hebrew people left behind in the promised land. With most of the leading citizens in exile in a foreign country, the city had fallen upon hard times. Can you imagine a city without its business leaders, teachers, artists, musicians, engineers, computer professionals, health-care professionals, and lawyers? Jerusalem had found itself in a similar predicament. With the blessings of the Babylonian government, Nehemiah had organized the building team to travel back to their beloved Jerusalem on a ...

685. Like a Tree Planted

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... , we can be nourished from underground streams of living water. Our lives can yield fruit, and our foliage is ever green and healthy. Jeremiah may have associated himself with the weeping willow since he is referred to as the "Weeping Prophet." American artist, John Singer Sargent's, Frieze of the Prophets depicts several prophets in the moment of their inspiration. Each one is hearing something. More specifically, each is hearing the voice of God as God gives them words to speak to their people. Jeremiah ...

686. What Are You Looking At?

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... the same way then as now. Luke didn't submit sample chapters of a manuscript to a publisher who might have sent him a cash advance so he'd finish it, then publish it and send him royalties. Writing required a patron who supported the working artist until the work was completed. It seems likely that Theophilus - whose name means "the one who loves God" - was a wealthy convert, a Christian who supported Luke while he worked on his two-part history of Jesus and the action of the Holy Spirit. That first part ...

687. The Kindness of Strangers

1 Kings 17:8-24

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... across America, most of the assistance he received came from people who were not especially well off. Some were not far from being penniless themselves. Well, how, in this day of great risk from strangers, when there is no shortage of scam artists, sex offenders, and outright thieves on the street, do we Christians live out the biblical admonition to be hospitable? Very cautiously, it would seem. But then, hospitality doesn't always mean opening our guestroom to strangers. In fact, it's not that often ...

688. The Blind Pastor

Mark 10:46-52

Illustration

Steven E. Albertin

Pastor Steven E. Albertin told the following story. He said, in my church secretary's office there hangs a modernistic picture composed of a maze of colors and shapes. I realized these sophisticated, modern, and abstract pictures were supposed to contain some profound artistic or philosophical message, but I never was able to figure it out. It just looked like a jumbled mass of confusion. If there was a message there, I was blind to it. One day while I was standing in the office, waiting for the copier to ...

689. The Whole Family Survival Kit

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... t extend grace to those who are closest to us. You mean in order for us to survive we have to close ourselves inside ourselves and ignore those around us who we think are annoying? In the history of Christian art, it’s as if artists had at their disposal this “Family Survival Kit” (my favorite? the brat darts) that cleared away all the annoyances so that we could get back to the main characters. John Updike has a poem entitled “Relatives” that is about family holiday gatherings. Here he describes ...

690. A House for Our Home and a Home for Our Faith

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... just a little boy, but all the time he really wanted his son to be a doctor. But his son had absolutely no interest in medicine, and grew up committed to being a violinist, and that gravely disappointed his father. On the day when Fritz Chrysler made his first artistic triumph at a concert in Vienna, the father was there, and he went home after the concert late at night and was alone. He took out his own old violin and drew the bow across the strings and said, listen to that tone. And then as tears welled ...

691. Plenty Good Room

John 14:1-4

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... a story analyzing his juggling. And when WC Fields read it, he couldn’t juggle for six years. He’d not known how he did it; he simply had done it. And in the setting of that, when people were analyzing her writings, Eudora Welty said that a writer, an artist, works hard to bring something together that is a great creation, and the analyst takes it apart to see what it’s made of. She said that’s good, but only if it enhances the work of art and helps people understand it. Now I share that word as we ...

692. Beware of Cute

Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , suffering and even death. The joy of Christmas wasn’t a cute joy, but a joy that overcame obstacles and negatives. You might even call Christians Star-Crossed Lovers: Lovers who bring together the Star of Bethlehem and the Cross of Golgotha. Renaissance artists loved to paint Jesus’ nativity. They didn’t do “cute” as well as Thomas Kinkade, but they could get cute in their own way. One of their favorite vignettes was the “Annunciation of Jesus’ Birth” to Mary by the angel Gabriel. In most ...

693. Encouragement from a Friend

Luke 1:39-45

Illustration

Keith Wagner

Theodor was an artist of sorts. He drew cartoons for a living but he wasn't getting anywhere. So, he decided to try his hand at writing and illustrating children's books. After twenty-seven rejections of his book, "A Story No One Can Beat," he was ready to give up. On his way ...

694. Living In The Spirit Of Peace

Galatians 5:22-25, Colossians 3:14-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of God's Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world. It makes all the difference in our lives. Conclusion Once there was a small jazz club in New Orleans. In a corner of that club sat an old dilapidated piano. All of the jazz artists complained about this antiquated instrument. The piano players dreaded playing on it. The vocalists dreaded singing with it. And all of the combos that played the club wished that they could bring in their own piano just like they could a saxophone or a trumpet. Finally ...

695. Seeing God In The Ordinary: Family

Luke 4:16-30

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... answer is, "He was just Josh." He started that way and was always that way. He didn't turn four and all of a sudden all the smarts turned on. He was just Josh. We adapted to him and his needs just as if he were a gifted athlete or artist. He was just Josh. That's the way it was in Nazareth. Jesus had grown up there. It's not that they didn't want him to succeed, they did. But they didn't expect Him to be the Messiah. I mean really, this is Joseph the carpenters son. This ...

696. The Wedding Was Saved, but the Marriage?

John 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... it. But before anyone found that out, Enricht had managed to convince not only Henry Ford, but several other famous American businessmen who should have known better, to give him millions of dollars for his worthless invention. (3) Enricht was a scam artist. His invention looked convincing, but ultimately it destroyed the engine it was suppose power. The power of Christ, on the other hand, took that which was inferior ordinary well water and made it rich and full and delightful. Anything Christ touches is ...

697. You Can't Fool God: Ananias and Sapphira

Acts 4:33 - 5:11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... on and on. Whenever we try hide something from our spouses, from our friends, from the family and even from ourselves it's sort of like a small jazz club in New Orleans. In a corner of that club sat an old dilapidated piano. All of the jazz artists complained about this antiquated instrument. It was hard to play, sometimes the keys would stick and no matter how many times is was tuned, it wouldn't stay in tune for very long. The piano players dreaded playing on it. The vocalists dreaded singing with it. And ...

698. Harvesting What We Plant

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... just wanted to hear him say, "Good job!" one time. That's all it would have taken. When I was 15 I got a little bit of a clue of how Dad felt about me. You see, Dad used to be a tile setter. He was one of the most artistic and fastest in the business. He did the decorative tile work in the state capitol building in Baton Rouge, LA and in Springfield, IL. But his temper got in the way of career. That's too many details. Anyway, when I was 15, Dad was already an independent heavy equipment ...

699. Cross Eyed: Rebuke

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... I think it stands for Saint." (3) The Cross of Christ and The Gospel of Christ changes lives. It turns Sinners into Saints when we surrender to God and become people of the Bruised Shoulder who walk with Jesus. Conclusion There's a great story about the artist Rodin, who one day saw a huge, carved crucifix beside a road. He immediately loved the artwork and insisted on having it for himself. He purchased the cross and arranged to have it carted back to his house. But, unfortunately, it was too big for the ...

700. Rejection and Refusal to Listen

Luke 13:31-35

Illustration

Brett Blair

Robert Fulton, an artist and engineer was responsible in the early 1800's for putting sailing ships out of business. He made the steamboat a standard on the open seas. It is said that he presented his idea to Napoleon. After a few minutes of this presentation Napoleon is reported to have said, "What, sir, you would make a ship sail against the wind and currents by lighting a bonfire under her decks? I pray you excuse me. I have no time to listen to such nonsense."

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