Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 676 to 700 of 4884 results

Matthew 7:7-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... Jeremiah, told the exiles in Babylon, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13). It is those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” that are satisfied (Matt. 5:6). Jesus now reasons that since earthly fathers who are less than perfect will not mock a child who asks for food, does it not follow that God will give good things to those who ask? Should his son ask for bread a father will not hand him a stone. Should he ask for a fish he will not be given a snake ...

677. Faith or Observance of the Law

Galatians 3:1-14, Galatians 3:15-25

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... 32:13). God chose Abraham to play a special role in the world because of Abraham’s trust in God (Gen. 15:6). Within Jewish tradition Abraham’s righteousness is underscored. For instance, we read in Jub. 23:10: “For Abraham was perfect in all of his actions with the Lord and was pleasing through righteousness all of the days of his life” (trans. Wintermute; in Old Testament Pseudepigrapha). Jewish literature connects Abraham’s righteousness with his faithfulness. In 1 Maccabees 2:51–52 Mattathias ...

678. Faith and Deeds

James 2:14-26, James 2:1-13

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... his example (2:2–4). The command to look at all behavior in the light of judgment fits the situation excellently. The standard of judgment is the law gives freedom, or the law of liberty. The idea has already been mentioned in 1:25, where obedience to this perfect law brings blessing. It is the same as the law of the kingdom of 2:8, namely, the Old Testament as interpreted by Jesus, which will be the standard of judgment (cf. Matt. 7:15–23; Luke 6:43–45). James does not think of this as a forbidding ...

679. The Shepherd

John 10:11-18

Sermon

John Jamison

... shepherds, he was a crack shot with his sling. He also carried his crook, the long stick with the curved hook on the end. It wasn’t just for show, nor was it some kind of a badge to let everyone know he was a shepherd. The stick was a perfect second line of defense against any intruder, like a wild animal or a thief, determined to steal a sheep or two. A quick, firm thump on the head with that solid piece of wood would quickly convince any attacker to look someplace else. And the hook? There were many ...

680. A Divided Family

Mark 3:20-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... hurts for you. And there are many reasons for divorce. There are many forms of spousal abuse. Nevertheless, the situation is reaching crisis proportions. This is one situation where the church cannot sit on the sidelines. But it is true: No there are no perfect families. The third reason that Mark may have mentioned the conflict between Jesus and his family is to set the stage for what happened to his family in the aftermath of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. According to Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13 ...

681. When I Am Weak, I Am Strong

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... my life. But that’s the difference between St. Paul and your pastor. Paul prayed about his “thorn in the flesh” three times, then let it go and trusted it to God. When he heard God say to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” that was enough for Paul. God was saying to Paul, “Trust me, Paul. I will take care of you. But I can use your weakness to demonstrate my power.” And God did use Paul’s weaknesses in a wonderful way. Paul’s influence over the ...

682. A Child of the Resurrection

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... us that death was not part of God’s original plan for creation. God created Adam and Eve in God’s image. He created them to live eternally with Him, to share in the work of tending to the Garden of Eden, to enjoy the beauty of creation and the perfectly ordered rhythms of life together. Adam and Eve’s sin corrupted God’s original plan. God is a holy God and cannot tolerate the presence of sin. So the penalty for Adam and Eve’s sin was death. That was not God’s intent. That was the result of Adam ...

683. Mama's Boy

Illustration

Victor Yap

... them home to meet my parents, my mother doesn’t like them.” His friend thinks for a moment and says, “I’ve got the perfect solution, just find a girl who’s just like your mother.” A few months later they meet again and his friend says, “Did you find the perfect girl? Did your mother like her?” With a frown on his face, Fred answers, “Yes, I found the perfect girl. She was just like my mother. You were right, my mother liked her very much.” The friend said, “Then what’s the problem ...

684. Healing

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Molly F. James

... we think it should. Those times when we fervently prayed for a very different outcome than the one we got. Those are the moments when we want to question God and perhaps even yell at God. We want to say “God, why do you give us these stories of perfect miraculous healing in our scriptures, but then you don’t heal my brother, my mother, my child?” When we feel that way, we want to rail at and curse God. And well we should. Life feels completely unfair. And we are in good company being angry at God. The ...

685. Scrubbing Our Social Media Accounts

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... and stressful time for students, teachers and parents. Our prayers are with all our young people as they make the move into jobs or college or some new chapter of their lives. There’s an online company called BrandYourself that claims it has the perfect graduation gift for high school and college students. It’s called the “Student Makeover.” It’s not a beauty and grooming service. It’s an online service for cleaning up your social media profiles. For $99, the company will scour all your social ...

686. The Lamb

Luke 19:28-44, Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, John 12:12-19

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... was the proof of this substitute sacrifice. When God’s judgment came, you knew, your life was bought by the lamb who gave his life in your stead. This is the message of God’s letting go of Jesus so that we could be saved. He is the Lamb, the perfect, tested Lamb, who is worthy, and whose blood have washed your sins away. The question as we come to the end of Lent is this: Do you love your Lamb? Are you willing to let your Lamb go in your stead? There are some heartstrings involved in this. Think about ...

687. Vetted

Luke 3:21-38, Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Promise, the promise that God gives to every one of God’s children. The good news? You don’t have to take a quiz. You don’t need to pass a test. You don’t need to know all the answers. You don’t even have to get everything perfectly right. You just need to know one name –Jesus. We are all vetted with God through the Name of Jesus. Confess Him. Trust Him. Follow Him. Proclaim Him. Call upon the name of Jesus. What’s in a Name? If it’s been vetted .. .. . Everything! [Here are two suggested ...

688. Tale of the Tares

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 9:35-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... know which are which? Even professional hikers sometimes can have difficulty discerning one from another. Both can be found in every forest. If in doubt, don’t take a risk, experts say! You could consume a deadly fungus. Or you could discard a perfect succulent treat! Many varieties appear nearly identical with only a few giveaway features that you may discover just too late! Weeds too can be mistaken for flowers in your backyard garden. Is that your new flowering shrub coming up? Or a counterfeit weed ...

689. Heart Shaped Stone

Psalm 118:1-29

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the street, or a child with a broken heart, a wise foreigner with a turban, or a dark-skinned rabbi. But the more expectations we build into our conception of who Jesus is, the more likely it is that we will fail to find Jesus in our lives. The more perfect our picture is of what life, God, church must be, the more we can fail to recognize God among us. In the midst of us. At the reins of our lives. What does your cornerstone look like? What does your Jesus look like? What does your husband, your wife, your ...

Perfect health, like perfect beauty, is a rare thing and so, it seems, is perfect disease.

Peter Latham

Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Vince Lombardi

692. Movable Stone, Portable House

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , depending upon his ability to…… you got it…..adapt! To adapt, to follow, and to be willing to be second. Sounds easy, right? But it’s not. It wasn’t for Peter. And it’s not for us either. But hey, no one is perfect. Nobody with a rock-solid will is also perfectly adaptable all the time. The kind of strength of character, faith, and leadership that is Peter’s forte can also be his downfall, if he isn’t careful. Jesus doesn’t want to kill his spirit. But he does need Peter to temper his ...

693. Don't Fall

Luke 22:39-46

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

... . God provided the door away from temptation and I ran. I finally got the shelf together, at least, in two pieces. Instead of a five shelf unit, I now have two separate shelves of three and two. God gave me the way out and I took it. It isn’t perfect but the more I look at it, the more I see God’s provision. Thanks, Lord.” We have spent several weeks working on building our spiritual lives up. It is just about that time when the temptation to go back to who we were grows stronger. To continue to grow ...

694. The Vine

John 15:1-8

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... people who work in other vineyards. God only has use for people who work in God’s vineyard. And God’s vineyard is fed by the original vine of Jesus. Those who become part of God’s vineyard, who are grown from the pure and perfect vine, and who remain connected to that vine by being part of that vineyard will bear like fruit, beautiful, succulent grapes that feed, nourish, bear seeds, mature, and multiply to serve entire populations of people. And like a vine’s nature, that vineyard will grow until ...

695. Living Bread

John 6:51-58

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... had to say on the subject. So give him credit for that. He may have come late to the wisdom party but at least he came, he showed up. And so it is with those who are FOLLOWERS of Jesus as we have described them, here. They may not be perfect in their devotion, they may want to put off the difficult parts of following Jesus until their financial picture is secure, or the kids have moved out, or until the economy recovers or the dog dies, but at least they want to follow Jesus. They actually do make the ...

696. Preparing for the King

Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... the new President and his or her family. They stock the White House kitchen with the new family’s favorite foods and fill the bathrooms with their favorite shampoo. By the time the new President and his or her family arrive, every room should be perfectly cleaned, decorated, and stocked with the new First Family’s belongings. All the boxes should be gone. And all this is hidden from the view of the public and news cameras surrounding the White House on Inauguration Day. (1) And if you think the White ...

697. A New Identity for a New Year

John 1:(1-9), 10-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... paired with parents for the day because they had no one to celebrate Christmas with. Jackie came up with the perfect solution by holding a Christmas potluck dinner so that willing “parents” and lonely young people could all share a Christmas ... . I hope your joys outweighed your sorrows. But now is the time to decide how you will start the New Year. What if you were perfectly aligned with God’s will and purposes for you? That is the blessing God gives to those who are His children, those who believe in ...

698. Secret Sauce

John 13:31-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . But the Church has also experienced times of disharmony and discord, separation, and diaspora. Even amidst Jesus’ own disciples, one would betray him and cause a rift in the 12. No community, not even Jesus’ own community, has ever been perfectly harmonious all the time throughout time. Yet despite this acknowledgement, the goal remains: synchrony and community –alternative community, the kind that bonds and endures. And the bonding agent? Love. Love God. Love each other. It’s the basic tenant of ...

699. Time to Listen

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... I mean. The disciples saw Jesus on the mountain with Moses and Elijah. God gave the Law to Moses as a framework for maintaining a right relationship with God. The intent was to show the people the path to righteousness. But no one could keep the Law perfectly. No matter how hard we try we fail. And this creates a separation between us and God. And that separation from God, the Giver of Life, means that we are destined for death. That’s where Elijah comes in. Elijah was one of Israel’s greatest prophets ...

700. Fine Tuning

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to get good at this kind of “fine tuning.” Those with a lot of patience, a gentle hand, and infinite finesse could get the clearest picture. The art of fine tuning isn’t reserved only for archaic televisions though. Mechanics fine-tune engines to hum perfectly and smoothly. Technicians fine tune systems of all kinds. Musicians fine tune their instruments. You probably fine tune your speech if you have to make one or your research report if you have to turn one in! Fine tuning is the art of aligning ...

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