Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 676 to 700 of 4999 results

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... trite and redundant quip: "Well, Pastor, what do you know for sure?" Common, hackneyed, and repetitive as it is, that question never fails to jar me a bit. I’m always forced to ask myself: "What do I know for sure?" and the answer always seems to be a kind of mocking echo in my mind: "Not much, and that’s for sure!" Look in God’s Word for sureness, and you find a typical example. Some of the disciples were turning away from the hard sayings of Christ, and he spoke to the chosen twelve, asking, "Will ...

677. Embalmed Leaders

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... during this period of the year in the midst of all of this power contest, you share my bewilderment, if you are a bit nauseated by the climbing, clawing clamor for leadership which goes on all around us, then perhaps you, like me, seek some kind of a relief. Like the officials of Vassar College who, when they were receiving student applications for admission, sent out the usual questionnaire to the father of one young lady who had applied, and one of the questions of the questionnaire was: "Do you consider ...

678. The Light that Shines Within

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... and Mary and those fishermen all have one thing in common - after they met Jesus they began to live in new dimensions of their being. In his letter to the Ephesians the Apostle Paul writes concerning the sort of context in which our life is cast and the kind of potential life has. His exulting words: "I pray God ... according to the riches of his glory, that he will grant you to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted ...

679. Decaffeinated Christianity

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... of State and Secretary of Defense?" Jesus hid his disappointment over such an inappropriate question and asked, "Are you willing to pay the price of being my disciples?" "Oh yes," they said glibly, "We're with you all the way. You can count on us." Jesus was so kind that he did not say, "Are you kidding me? You fair-weather friends, you yellow cowards will run for cover the first time you smell real danger." Instead he said, "It is not my prerogative to give places of honor in the Kingdom; that is the task ...

680. The Words We Speak

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... using you as the scapegoat. There was not a word of truth in the boss's criticism of you. People don't appreciate you, John." That kind of shallow fluff gets old. Every now and then, at the right time, we need to get it straight from someone who loves us. How are ... it is wrong to express anger by embarrassing the partner in front of other people. Poor old Abraham Lincoln felt the sting of this kind of anger. Not only did he have to lead a country split by civil war; he also had to contend with a wife who ...

681. THE JOURNEY

Drama

Jerome W. Nilssen

... bad dream, always was. GRACE But he owes me money. Although it’s not just the money I’m thinking about. You see, I kind of promised him myself too. CAIN Well, soon enough everything’s going to be different. (Riding his hobby horse again) According to the long-range ... other things on my mind. It’s a free country. (Pause; no response; he draws closer) Still, the way I see it, there is a kind of bond between us. You know Seth. And I just saw him a few days ago. You could say it was fate brought the two ...

682. Well, What's for Sure?

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... and redundant quip: "Well, Pastor, what do you know for sure?" Common and hackneyed and repetitive as it is, that question never fails to jar me just a bit. I’m always forced to ask myself: "What DO I know for sure?" And the answer always seems to be a kind of mocking echo in my mind: "Not much, and that’s for sure." Look in God’s Word for sureness, and you find a typical example. Some of the disciples were turning away from our Lord and no longer walking with Him, because of some of the things that ...

683. Chapter II

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

... , it was up to him to respond to the love he knew would be waiting for him. Until he came to himself, and turned toward home, for all of the love he had for him, all the father could do was watch and wait. The Commandments have the same kind of expectations for us embedded in them. In love, God revealed them to us, seriously asking us to respond positively to them, and expecting that we could, if we would. The covenant made at Mt. Sinai was sealed, you remember, after the incident in Eden. Despite God’s ...

684. Chapter VII

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

... both of which are holy, and using them in a way that God never intended either should be used when he created them. That kind of misuse eventually leads to the warping of both the person and the sexual impulse. Yet, for all of this, I am aware of ... moment, many people, adults as well as young people, who have taken the same route as my young friend have ended up with the same kind of conclusions about it. It is a bad, and rough, and descending road. It leads those who take it through a lot of painful detours ...

685. Are You a Gold-Painted Rock?

Matthew 7:15

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... was like the pebbles, only bigger. Well, I thought that I’d found an old mine. You probably know what kind of mine I thought I’d hit. What kind was it? A gold mine, that’s right. Oh, was I excited! I ran in the house and told everybody to keep the secret, but ... someone only started to laugh. Do you know what they called the kind of rock that I had? Fool’s gold. This really was fool’s gold because someone had just painted the rocks with gold ...

686. Picking A Winner, Claiming A Treasure

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... God has a wonderful plan for your life and will reveal it as you go along. And, as frosting on the cake, there is a profound peace and joy in the depths of your soul that keeps you humming, "Zippity do dah, zippity A." What would you pay for that kind of treasure? $10,000? More than that. People pay $10,000 to get free of back pain. Would you pay $100,000? Sure. Some people pay that for drugs, hoping to get just a portion of what the Treasure represents. A story is told of a wealthy socialite who traveled ...

687. Building According To Code

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

Brett Blair

... the storms of life. Interestingly, Jesus made it clear that the storms came to both houses. Neither was sparred. Here is a truth that cannot be repeated too often, because there are so many who still cling to the ancient fallacy that religion represents a kind of divine insurance policy against trouble. Yet, the storm in Jesus’ parable, you will note, was no discriminator. But, of course, I don’t have to convince most of you of the reality of Jesus’ words at this point, because you have been there ...

688. Never Underestimate The Power of a Cup of Cold Water

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Brett Blair

... …because in one another we see face of Christ. It is the first step in Christian Discipleship. III. A Cup of Water is a Sign that Christ is Welcome. I cannot begin to tell you the reward that is waiting for everyone of us who believe. Not even the smallest kindness will be missed by a Father who is ever watching. And while it is true that as a disciples of Christ we must live a life of peace; we must be ever vigilant that that peace can also be a dagger. Commitment to Christ can separate us form those we ...

689. Legends Of Christmas

Drama

Georgianna Summers

... t know, but God be praised. Mama: Now, daughter, you will be able to marry well. Danny: [Continuing] And so she did. [Becky takes bag and goes back into classroom as Danny continues to read.] When the next daughter reached the age to marry, Nicholas repeated this kind deed, and she also married well. [Katie goes back to classroom.] Then finally it came time for the third daughter to marry. She was the bossiest and the ugliest, so she needed a lot of money. Marcia: Oh, Mama, I am old enough to be married now ...

690. Egypt: Unlikely Refuge

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... string of oaths; then he handed the phone to me while muttering, "If there’s anything I can’t stand, it’s a blankety-blank idiot who says, ‘I’ll bet you can’t guess who this is.’ " When I took the line, my friend’s first words were, "What kind of place are you working in?" I was working in Egypt, in the refuge of my new-found friend, Nash. He watched over me, taught me a few secrets about writing, taught me how to write religious news as if it were meant for human beings. He stood by me ...

691. Hot Tubs and Fishing Trips

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Thomas Long

... in a wildly spinning Roulette wheel, we are eager for it to come to rest on a number, any number, as long as it promises a framework of identity and meaning, be it losing ourselves in work or finding ourselves in God. The problem with this kind of change is that when we go looking to "find ourselves," we often find ourselves alone. There is a sadness in a culture like ours, which bravely trumpets the virtue of inner-directed, risk-taking, self-sufficient people who don’t need anybody else in order ...

692. Repentance and Forgiveness

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... with a message of repentance and forgiveness. I do not know about you, but I grew up with the idea that repentance was a kind of deep sorrow over my sins. "I have sinned against you, dear Lord, in thought, word, and deed." That is how my prayers of ... my situation before God. I have come to understand, however, that that is not repentance at all. The power of my will to live the kind of life God calls me to live cannot be the solution to the problem of my sinful nature. My willpower is not the solution to ...

693. Advent 3

Isaiah 61:1-11, John 1:1-18, John 1:19-28, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... light; that, like John the Baptizer, we too may direct others to the real hope of salvation, the true Anointed One, in whose name we meet and pray. Amen Prayer of Confession Gracious and compassionate God, we know that we often live our lives with our spirits in a kind of dark wilderness, cut off from your light. Forgive us for all that we do to create that wilderness, as well as for the many times we lose our way in it. Send us those who, like John the Baptizer, can direct us to the Light. And empower us ...

694. "Why Belong to Church?"

John 14:15-31

Sermon

... French philosopher, received a message at the hands of his friends in Paris who were overthrowing the Bourbons: "A terrible game is being played here - our heads are in danger; come and add yours." That is the appeal of Christ to his followers. It is because we need that kind of crusading spirit that we turn to the sixth reason I belong to the church. VI. I should join the church because of the strong men in it who need reinforcing. It is true, that men are laying it on the line again in our day in order to ...

695. Blessed With Peace

John 14:15-31

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

... his secretary as he seeks to clean up the work at his desk. "It was a peaceful rest," remarks a physician when he returns from a vacation where the telephone could not reach him and patients could not find him. A worldly peace is that kind of peace where the troubles and pressures of life are temporarily blotted out, as the clouds, for a while, blot out the sun. This peace is only brief and incomplete. Once the outward circumstances change, the tensions, anxieties, pressures, and guilt return as rapidly as ...

696. The Kingdom And The Seed

Mark 4:4-20; 30-32

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... hard path; * the rocky ground; or * the thorn-infested soil. It is important for us to diagnose such cases properly. Jesus never says that these labels are permanent. A more proper reading of this parable is to realize that there are elements of all four kinds of soil in each of us. Thus, we should be more understanding and Christ-like in our treatment of people who are hard, shallow, or worldly. Those who are like good soil "hear the Word, accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold ...

697. A New Perspective

Deuteronomy 7:1-26

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... the other vehicles start with such a jolt that there’s no question about the fact that you’re under way. The experience of being disoriented like this is called losing your frame of reference. Maybe some of you can remember the movies that exploited this kind of thing. They were called cinerama. They would mount a movie camera on the front of an airplane and then fly under a bridge or down the Grand Canyon. If you really allowed yourself to get caught up in the experience, you felt like you were right ...

698. Lord, I Want to See - Sermon Starter

Mark 10:46-52

Illustration

Brett Blair

... creative people in our society are blind. But in first century Palestine blindness meant that you would be subjected to abject poverty. You would be reduced to begging for a living. You lived at the mercy and the generosity of others. Unless your particular kind of blindness was self-correcting, there was no hope whatsoever for a cure. The skills that were necessary were still centuries beyond the medical knowledge of the day. Little wonder then that one of the signs of the coming of the Messiah was that ...

699. Getting It Together

Luke 6:37-42

Sermon

William G. Carter

... through it.” It was more honesty than I expected, but I’m glad for it. She gave me more than her opinion, which would have reduced the feedback to her word against mine, which is always a dead-end street. Rather she pushed me to speak with the kind of integrity that sees life for all of its promises and pitfalls. God knows we are not the people that we want others to see. There is always a shadow between our intentions and our accomplishments. But God has sent Jesus Christ to save us from our own poor ...

700. Light from the Word

Nehemiah 7:73b--8:18

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... they did respond in an affirmative manner. In turn, Ezra announced to the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” By this Ezra indicated to the people that their affirmation of what had been read to them was the kind of response God was looking for. God accepted their confession as making the covenant between God and people secure and effective for them. They did not have to mourn or weep but rather they could get about the business of making the covenant alive and real in ...

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