Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 676 to 700 of 4977 results

676. What a Difference a Day Makes

Exodus 20:8-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... nice round number? Could He not think of anything better to do, so He just threw this one in? Let's face it, to keep this commandment, you have to literally swim against the riptide of the cultural current we face today, because today, Sunday, is fun-day. To ... , NASB) This is the day to close the calendar, go off the clock, put away the "to do" list and just rest your body. Keeping this commandment is the biblical answer to the workaholic. I say it again - God made the world in six days and then He rested. ...

677. To Catch a Thief

Exodus 20:15

Sermon

James Merritt

... of you." (Malachi 3:8-9, NASB) Don't miss the principle here that God teaches using the tithe as an example. If someone has something that belongs to them and you take it from them - you steal. If you have something that rightfully belongs to somebody else and you keep it - you are also stealing. This is going to sound harsh, but there is a lot of thievery in the church. Just a few years ago on average it was determined that church members gave 2.52% of their income to the work of God. Now if this verse is ...

678. Joseph – The Promise Believed

Matthew 1:18-25; 2:13-23

Sermon

James Merritt

... that God made that promise, He had one item on His to do list. He had one priority on His agenda and that was to keep The Promise to send that one into the world that would take care of Satan, take care of sin, take care of sorrow and take ... uses that word over 15 different times in his gospel to show that Jesus is all about fulfilling prophecy which is nothing more than keeping a promise. Every prophecy of God is also a promise that that prophecy will come true. Now Joseph had to make the big decision. Was ...

679. You Fool!

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... what this meant to me?" Betty thought. Suddenly, it dawned on Betty that she wasn't alone. God had not forgotten her. "That woman was my angel," she said out loud. Seen any angels lately? Anything obscuring your view? Possessions can be attractive distractions which keep us from seeing God at work. That's why the first lesson for today (Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 18-23) says, "Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity." Possessions can only temporarily fill the void in our hearts ...

680. A Squirrely Holiday

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... life more clearly. He gave his life over to God 'Nothing's been the same since,' he said, 'I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now.' 'Ever think of stopping?' I asked. 'Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get ... and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things. 'Would you sign my autograph book?' he asked. 'I like to keep messages from folks I meet.' I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him ...

681. The Power of Purpose

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... boy was asked to write an essay on anatomy. And here’s what he said. Your head is kind of round and hard, and your brains are in it and your hair is on it. Your face is in front of your head, where you eat. Your neck is what keeps your head off your shoulders, which are sort of shelves where you hook your overall suspenders. Your arms you’ve got to have to pitch with, and so you can reach the biscuits. Your fingers stick out of your hands so you can scratch, throw a curve ball, and work ...

682. The Wisdom of the Wise Men

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... where to turn, and you don’t know what’s going on, and you can’t understand why it has happened to you. All of a sudden, meaning begins to unfold and life takes on a preciousness that it never had before. The stars will shine, so keep your head up; keep your eyes open; keep your heart tender, so that when the star shines, you’ll recognize it. And when you recognize it, follow it. Follow it. What other wisdom have we from the wise men? There it is in verses 10 and 11 – look at it. When they saw the ...

683. What the Lord Does Best

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... words – covenant, change, conflict, and commitment. I want us to return to this first chapter again this morning, but with a more narrow focus, keeping in mind this old Jewish saying – what the Lord does is certainly best, probably. Now the ambiguity of that may not leave us, but ... the Reverend Mr. Aspirin. The congregation’s mission is to sprinkle with Holy water, the way things are and to keep things as they have always been. The motto on their bumper stickers is – Come will or woe, my status is ...

684. A Miracle Child

Exodus 2:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... their own paths. Can we trust them to God? Can we believe that God will care for our children, even as he cared for that little ark in that dangerous river? Oh for that kind of faith. Oh for the readiness and the willingness to commit our children into the keeping of God, who has promised through his word; if we bring up children in the way that they should go, when they are old they will not depart from it. How much relief and release could come to me today, could come to you today, if we would simply rest ...

685. Every Day God Enables

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... little girl. I'll bet she's going someplace in her life. Not only was she concerned about her dog but she also wanted to enable her church to get more money. We've been talking about our Every Day God and how God helps us keep our Christian Edge, how God helps us keep sharp in living out this Called and Sent life of Discipleship and making Disciples. We've Talked about how God works in our lives and empowers our lives through the Holy Spirit, reminding us that we are the beloved sons and daughters of God in ...

686. We Serve a Risen [and Rising] Savior

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... those days when the empty tomb seems incomprehensible . . Even when re-telling the miracle is met with derision and disbelief . . . . Even when recounting the resurrection seems to bring no real results . . . We are still called to practice, to keep practicing, to keep witnessing to the world, and working resurrection faith into every corner of our lives. Thomas Aquinas argued that the church was not just the living witness to the “risen Christ.” The church, Aquinas insisted, was also the loving witness ...

687. Holiness of Heart and Life

Romans 2:21-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ever depress you?” a visitor asked. “Not really,” she replied, with a smile. “If I ever begin to feel depressed, I remember that I may be the only person who cares what happens to these men. And then comes the strength and patience to keep going, to keep loving them.” That was the woman’s job you say, and you are right. But the question is, do we do our jobs in holiness – not “transgressing or wronging our brothers?” But more than that, do we live our whole lives loving one another? That ...

688. When You Have Everything You Need, Except What You Need (Managing Money)

Luke 12:22-34, Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... took care of her, and she made a great witness I n terms of that total surrender of her wealth to the Lord. But she did miss the joy and fun of being a steward of wealth. So Jesus did not say wealth is evil’ he called us to keep our possessions in perspective. His big point is not whether you have money, but whether money has you. Jesus knew that wealth can be an uncontrollable obsession, an almost inescapable addiction. Money can get a hold of a person and its grip will grow and grow until that person ...

689. Justification and Grace

Galatians 2:11-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Christ.” That of course, is where we get the key thought, the core thought of evangelical Christianity: Justification by Grace through Faith. This is our signal as Christians. Let’s look at the word, justification. It is a metaphor primarily from the law courts. Keep in mind the supreme question: How can sinners get into a right relationship with God? How are we able to feel that peace of being at home with God? How can we escape the sense of estrangement, the fear of judgment? That’s the problem ...

690. When God Seems Far Off

Psalm 10:1-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... man’s entire world view. It collapses like rubble around his head. He believed that because he could not see or feel God’s judgment, there was no God around to judge him. But the psalmist knows better. God was making his judgments all right, but he was keeping them on high, out of the sight of the brazen rebel.” But one day the judgment would be expressed - probably in this life; but if not, in final judgment when every person will be called to give an account for his deeds. So we need to learn form ...

691. Emmanuel - God with Us

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... And a taller town than Rome. To the end of the way of the wandering star, To the things that cannot be and that are, To the place where God was homeless And all men are at home. - G. K. Chesterton Emmanuel - God with us. At Christmas instead of keeping his distance, God came very close in Jesus Christ. Instead of coming to judge and condemn he came to forgive and save. The door to the house of Christmas is ajar tonight – open – a warm fire of love is burning within – the glow of candle-light is your ...

692. When God Speaks

Psalm 29:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... wind and the sea obey His voice?" Many times we, like the disciples, become “functional atheists." We believe in God but keep fighting the storms like we are all alone. Theoretically, we believe that God exists, but functionally we continue in the midst ... obey His will when the Lord of the universe says, “Peace, be still." Let us push this story a little further. No, He does not keep us from the storm. It rains on the just and the unjust. The floods rise on houses built on the rock and houses built on ...

693. The Constant God in a Changing World

Psalm 48:1, 9-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... is a criterion of our commitment no wonder the kid fainted. Who wouldn't? We have feet of clay. Our best intentions are sacrificed on the altar of our stubborn wills. The only person who never fails at I Corinthians 13 is God. God is patient and kind; He keeps no record of wrongs; God never fails. God does not love us every now and then; God loves us eternally, world without end. That is the Gospel as I understand it. If those who should have loved you—didn't If those who could have loved you—wouldn't ...

694. Watch!

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... wait. While God is on time every time, he does not operate on our time. He is trying to say be prepared by living wise. Don’t be so engrossed with eating and drinking that the flame of your spiritual life flickers and fades. “Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning.” However long it takes, let me wait in faith. There is a prayer in our ritual of burial and resurrection that I pray often, “Help us to live as those who are prepared to die and when our days here are accomplished, enable us to die as ...

695. By Enduring

1 Peter 2:19-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... taking time away from him." So what should a believer do with an unbelieving spouse? Grab him/her by the ear and drag him/her to the altar? Refuse to go to bed with him/her until he/she makes a profession of faith? Peter says no. Just keep on keeping on, trying the best you can to apply your newfound faith to your old-line family for even unbelievers would rather see a sermon than hear one, any day. Leslie Strobel writes, “My decision to follow Jesus ushered in the most tumultuous era of our marriage. It ...

696. A Faith That Transforms, Not Just Adorns

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... be looking to conquer or colonize whatever planets they can reach.” In other words “you don’t always get what you wish for!” Faith is something that transforms, not merely adorns. In this week’s epistle text “faith” puts Abraham on the road. Faith keeps his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob on that same road trip. Faith didn’t lead Abraham to a grand mansion in a fertile, watered, lush promised land. Faith kept Abraham in a one-room, pull-down, camel-smelling tent for his entire life. The ...

697. Step into Your 'Adjacent Possibility'

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the lobster any room for new growth. Disciples of Jesus, will you find the courage to move into your “adjacent possible?” Is your shell too tight? Are you tired of doing the same thing over and over? Are you feeling stifled in your shell? Oh, that shell keep you safe. But it won’t let you grow. And it won’t let other people in. Will you shed your shell, despite the dangers, and prepare yourself for new and better adventures? Look into your life. Look into your home, your job, your commitments, your ...

698. Back to Real Life

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... when Christmas has passed? We remember the world to whom Christ came and for which he died. Why did Christ come into the world? One reason and one reason alone: Because, “God so loved the world.” That’s it. Christmas is centered in love. We want to keep the Christmas spirit all year long, because the Christmas spirit consists of loving our neighbor and loving God not just one day of the year, but all the year round. I want to close with a haunting story told by author W. B. Freeman. A man was walking ...

699. Love Lifted Me

Psalm 40:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... in the distance, I could not help wondering if the God of the Ten Commandments is less interested in spoiling his children’s fun than in telling them that they are in a minefield.” (4) The slimy pit may refer to our morals. Morals are important. They keep us safe. They keep our families safe. There is someone in this room today who may be sliding down the slope right now of a slimy pit. That person could make a tragic mistake if he or she doesn’t get their act together. The slimy pit may refer to our ...

700. Get Down and Dirty for Lent

John 9:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a hundred washings. Aprons were there to protect Grandma’s dress. But they protected far more than that. The big old apron protected Grandma’s hands as she pulled hot dishes for her family from the oven. The big old apron helped her bring in wood to keep the stove stoked. The big old apron protected eggs carried into the kitchen and baby chicks carried back to their nests. The big old apron dried tears from the faces of little ones and wiped at the sweating brows of working men and women. The big old ...

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