Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 701 to 725 of 4884 results

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Mary Austin

... by love. Mother’s Day calls us to remember the places where we have been blessed by love, and it also reminds us that no human love is perfect. For some of you, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are happy days. You have been blessed by a loving family, and this is a joyful day. ... of the parent who died young, or who was never really able to be a parent. Everyone else seems to have the perfect family, and our lives look all the more flawed on days like these. Even in the most loving families, no mother or ...

702. Can I Get a Witness?

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

Mary Austin

... . When we hear “you are a chosen people,” it means claimed, not the kind of chosen that leaves everyone else out. “You are my witnesses,” Jesus said, and he counts on us to tell his story. This is not because we have perfect memories - not because we have perfect lives, even, but our lives serve as our witness. Our evangelical friends have an idea of witnessing to people, which means actively telling about our faith. Some people have a gift for that, and some people don’t. Some people want to hear ...

703. The Possibility Mindset

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Jesus’ encounters that we read about today, we see a man run up to him and ask, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Don’t you just love sentences like this? They are filled with clues and “bad theology!” But they set Jesus up perfectly for his teaching moments! Right? You know what I’m talking about! And…Jesus is on the move. He challenges every part of the man’s sentence with excellent replies. 1) Why do you call me “good”? No one is good but God alone. The man has ...

704. A Living Memorial

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... over you, and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:11b, 13). God's people were spared. There is no indication that God's people had earned this favor from God. The Israelites had certainly not been perfect. They had had moments of unfaithfulness and doubt and they would have many more in the future. But they were God's people. They were in a covenant relationship with God. They had responded to God's call and they had willingly submitted to the limits and ...

705. Which Way To Jesus?

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... wealth, that to live life abundantly as Jesus said is to have a life of abundance filled with all good things. Then, of course, what was most likely in the excitement of the week in which the Greeks came was that people expected Jesus to be the perfect political leader, king, tzar, president or whatever it would take to make the ideal government. Surprise When the request of the Greeks was presented to Jesus, Jesus did not refuse to see the people. However, what he did say had to be a shock. Jesus used the ...

706. Sabotaging The Sabath

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Richard Patt

... graceful act Jesus did here? Think of it, this woman in the story had borne her infirmity for eighteen years. To have someone come along and relieve such a burden would have to be considered the most exquisite of human deeds. But in this case, a perfectly good deed caused contention. In our own lives, we can have such an experience. There is, for instance, the proverbial mother of the bride, who takes a wonderfully fine day, such as her daughter's wedding, and turns it into a tension-filled day preceded by ...

707. Who's In Charge Here, Anyway?

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

Tony Everett

... it" (45:2). The pain of broken relationships grows until it permeates our existence. It expands until it controls our emotions. It becomes so toxic that it spills over and touches everybody around us. However, it doesn't have to be like that. Joseph had a perfect opportunity to make his brothers suffer deeply for selling him to a bunch of wandering nomads and telling everyone that he was dead. Revenge could have been so sweet for Joseph. After all, he was in power now, not his brothers. His dreams had come ...

708. God Needs To Save This Family

Hosea 1:1-2:1

Sermon

James McLemore

... their children. Everything that you have tried to do for them may not have worked, but, believe me, you can work it out. The same God that gave them to you will help you raise them, if you ask him. God didn't give you perfect children, because he knew you were not a perfect parent. Yet God loved you, and as Romans 5:8 says, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." So, likewise, while our children are yet foolish, yet disobedient, let us pray for them, that God will do for them what God did for ...

709. The Blind Guiding The Blind

Psalm 92:1-15, Luke 6:46-49, 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, Isaiah 55:1-13, Luke 6:37-42

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... . 2. Antidote to Intellectualism. A common observation is that the truly educated person is the one who knows how little she really knows. We may adapt that to say that the mature Christian is the one who knows how far she has yet to go to reach full perfection in Christ. 3. The Christian Teacher. The true Christian teacher is not one who says, "Do as I say" or "Do as I do." The Christian teacher says, "Do as Jesus said and did." This looks beyond self to Christ as the model for instruction in what it means ...

710. Lent 4

Psalm 32:1-11, Joshua 5:1-12, 2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Luke 15:1-7

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... was justified by faith, accepted by the grace of God rather than because of his own frantic efforts to win God's favor, that he was able to enjoy his Christian life. B. Paul was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. He strove to live a life of perfection under the law. It left him full of hate, breathing fury and hatred against the Christians. It was through his encounter with Christ and the realization that he was saved by grace that his full possibilities for mission were released. He could use his gifts to build ...

711. Weather Signs

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... . They are committed to following Christ regardless of cost and opposition. It is the only way to salvation, to wholeness. CONTACT Points of Contact 1. Acting in Present Time. The world persists. God's action continues to take place in the midst of history. The perfection of God's kingdom awaits a period beyond history. In the meantime Christians live in the world with a mixture of good and evil, and plenty of gray areas. They make it hard to distinguish between good and evil. Decisions must be made and ...

712. Proper 25

Psalm 65:1-13, Luke 18:9-14, Joel 2:28-32, 2 Timothy 4:9-18, 2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... Death to Self-will 4. Having the Mind of Christ CONTACT Points of Contact 1. Self-Evaluation. A prime requisite for being justified in God's sight is to have an honest evaluation of one's self. That involves an awareness of imperfections. No person is perfect and without sin. Persons are unable to sustain their own lives. Without God's grace in providing life and the means for supporting life, all persons would cease to exist. Thus people need to be aware of their dependency, that they owe their very lives ...

713. Just What The Doctor Ordered

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... a pole at Moses' time to the time Jesus crushed the serpent's head at Calvary and beyond, the medicine is a substitute and faith. The deadly poison of sin has existed in man since the Fall. The bronze serpent had no poison in it. So also when the perfect Jesus was lifted up on the cross in the likeness of sinful flesh, he took our place. He took our poison. He endured the punishment we deserve for our incessant impatience and grumbling. All God asks is that we look with faith to that pole of Calvary to see ...

714. Decisions, Decisions

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... best decision. Guess what? You can't go wrong if your heart is right. God sees it and he will turn even a less-than-perfect decision into good because he knows you were seeking him. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the ... though he does care about how you look, don't expect him to guide your hand to the dress of the day or the perfectly coordinated tie. And sometimes we paralyze ourselves and wait for an answer when common sense says, "Do it! You must!" There are simply some ...

715. The Heart Of The Matter

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Robert P. Hines

... 's a promise. The third promise for the new covenant is that forgiveness of sin will be abundant. It will be a time of boundless grace, limitless love, incomprehensible forbearance. Please note: God does not promise that in the new covenant people will be perfect, or that they will be sinless. God promises to forgive and to forget their iniquity. That suggests there still will be mistakes and problems. But forgiveness will be the rule of thumb. Grace will be more important than sin. It has been suggested ...

716. An Unfamiliar Place For God

Jeremiah 29:1-23

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

... and vice versa. Some people may wish to avoid those with different customs than their own. The young may resist the old ways as strongly as the old shy away from the young. Physically challenged persons may seek to avoid people who seem "too perfect" while they are themselves avoided by many. Some may be uncomfortable with those of a different race or sexual orientation. Many people may wish to avoid those who would hurt them -- not only physically, but with words or by rejection or by simply ignoring ...

717. "But Some Doubted"

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

... sex, or fantasy games, or working 70 hours a week. Some try to find it in a gun, or by slapping others around, or constantly pushing at the limits of what others will tolerate. Some try to find it by acting crazy, and some try to find it by being perfect all the time. But none of those things work. And when we find they don't work, we end up either burnt-out, dead or in jail -- or we just give up and decide to turn ourselves over to God. Paul learned it the hard way. Some of us have ...

718. The Hope Of Peace

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

... as we did. We are acquitted! We need not go back to the relentless self-questioning, the sense of failure, the fear and confusion. We will leave this courtroom by another door, a door that leads to closer fellowship with God and others. It does not make our present life perfect. At this point, we have only "the hope of sharing the glory of God." It is a thing in the future, not a state we live in all the time. Right now, we can see the gleam of that day when we will be freed from all uncertainty and doubt ...

719. Unconditional Love

Romans 4:1-25

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

... this hapless slave along with their son, in a desert place; and complained consistently about his lack of offspring, even though God repeated his promise as well as his care for Abraham numerous times. So it isn't that Abraham is an example of a perfect person, nor has he perfect trust in God. He is a person much like you and me -- failed and imperfect. Yet this is the man God decided to choose. This is the one through whom all the world will eventually return to God! And to this man, who has really ...

720. Summer Fruit

Amos 8:1-14

Sermon

Richard L. Sheffield

... a good banana. You can't preserve it for tomorrow; it's for today. And the question is not whether you get more of it, but what you do with what you have. One or two or even a dozen perfectly ripe bananas in a basket is a blessing. If all else fails, you make banana bread. But a whole truckload of perfectly ripe bananas would be a smelly disaster. More isn't always better, is the message of Amos. What Amos is saying is that that which is good in life is like summer fruit -- like a ripe banana -- prone to ...

721. An Arranged Wedding, But An Intentional Marriage

Genesis 24:1-67

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... to make that marriage work. Even if the wedding is arranged, the marriage must be intentional. That commitment has many dimensions. For one thing, it accepts that we marry a less than perfect person. As the Scripture says, "We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." No mere mortal is perfect. In fact, after we marry we usually discover that some of the things we thought were strengths are really weaknesses. A woman remarked during marriage counseling, "When I married Dan, I loved his ...

722. Recalling, Remembering, And Rejoicing

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... not think of him. In fact, at one point during our conversation, she leaned toward me and confided: "You know, when I remember Eugene, it's like he's here with me. I can see him sitting over in that old chair pretending to read the newspaper, when I know perfectly well he's really taking a nap. I'll watch a funny show on television, and I can almost hear him laughing. Sometimes, Reverend, I even talk to him out loud. I'll say, 'It's a beautiful morning, isn't it, Eugene?' Or I'll ask him, 'What should ...

723. Details

Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... every aspect of the interior and exterior is coordinated into a single ideal. Nothing essential is omitted; nothing that is included is out of place. The statement is attributed to Mies van der Rohe that "God is in the details." The perfection of the whole depends on the perfection of the details. The meaning of the whole is inseparable from each of the smallest details. God is in the details. I suggest that his statement may also apply to reading the Bible. Concentrating on the details is not mere ...

724. Love Without Limits

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

... directly at her and coldly says, "Nothing!" Then he marches on. That's a little bit like the way Jesus felt about his mission to the Jews. His mission was to his own people. Other people were a distraction. But Jesus . . . Jesus was perfect, wasn't he? At the very least -- or the very most -- he was perfect in love. After all, he was the Son of God and God loves everybody. Yes, he was the Son of God and he was also the Son of Man. In fact he was much more likely to call himself the Son of Man than ...

725. Wanting To Be Seen

Matthew 6:5-6

Sermon

David Belgum

... showing off on the one extreme or hiding your light under a bushel basket on the other hand? What could you do to motivate yourself in a more wholesome direction if that is what your self-analysis calls for? What if you discover that you are not perfectly genuine in your motivation? Here we are at the beginning of Lent, a time traditionally set aside for self-examination and reflection, a time to sit back and relax quietly, to look at our lives in an unhurried way, without defensiveness or the need to prove ...

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