Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 701 to 725 of 1533 results

2 Corinthians 3:12-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

McFaith. You know people like that don't you? They want Gospel Lite as if it were something consumable and not something to consume their souls. They don't want to bear the cross as Jesus said, but they'll gladly wear it as jewelry. They don't seem to get it. They have no idea what their destination or purpose in life is all about. They remind me of a story told about the late Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. When he was eighty-eight years old he was traveling by train. When the conductor came ...

702. Conflict Resolution (Series: Fundamentals of Family)

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

To live above with those we love, Well, that will be glory. To live below with those we know, Well, that’s another story. Wherever two or more people gather in the close quarters of family, church, work, or community, conflict is bound to happen. The Bible affirms that from cover to cover. Jacob did not get along with Esau. King Saul tried to kill David. St. Paul wanted nothing to do with his former traveling companion Mark. The letters of the New Testament are full of advice on resolving difficulties. So ...

703. Dare To DV8

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

In 17th century Italy, in the town of Cremona, there lived a young boy named Antonio. Cremona was was famous for its music. And of all the things in the world that Antonio wanted he wanted to be able to make music. Unfortunately, he couldn't sing or play an instrument. His voice was high and squeaky, so he wasn't welcome in the Boys' Choir. When he took violin lessons, the neighbors complained so much they persuaded his parents to make him stop. Still, Antonio wanted to make music. Because he couldn't sing ...

704. This Is the Day!

Psalm 118:1-29

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to begin with a suggestion. Tomorrow morning when you wake up, I want you to stand up tall in front of your bathroom mirror, give yourself a big smile and declare with great gusto that wonderful verse from Psalms, “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!” Bio-feedback experts suggest that this single act can do wonders for our mental state. The relation between our body and our mind is an interesting one. We don’t smile because we feel great, these experts tell us; ...

705. On the Road with the Little Children

Luke 18:15-17

Sermon

James W. Moore

Let me begin this morning with three quick stories. Story #1: We took our two youngest grandsons to lunch in a local Italian Restaurant. As the waiters brought the food to the table I asked Dawson (age 6) and Daniel (age 4) if either one of them would like to offer our prayer of thanks for the meal… or if they would like for me to do it. They both pointed to me, so I prayed a brief prayer of gratitude for our meal and for our family. When I finished the prayer and said “Amen,” four-year-old Daniel opened ...

706. Facing Our Fears with Faith

Matthew 10: 27-31

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

“Americans will never taste security and safety unless we feel security and safety in our land," said Osama bin Laden a few weeks ago in a video shown around the world. It is the purpose of terrorists to terrorize and it appears these criminals have succeeded in making Americans more fearful than ever before. Never again will we board a plane, open a letter, or enter a stadium with the kind of innocence we assumed before September 11th. How will we learn to live with this kind of fear? To fear or not to ...

707. Leaping Where You Cannot Look

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

King Duncan

Somewhere I read some amazing information about an antelope known as the African impala. These residents of southern and eastern Africa are amazing leapers. They can jump to a height of over 10 feet. One leap can cover a distance greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent animals can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3‑foot high wall. You see, impalas will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall. That is a wise, conservative approach to life. Do not jump if you cannot see where your ...

708. A Faith That Transforms, Not Just Adorns

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The beauty business is big business. Adorning ourselves, perfecting every perceived imperfection, curling what is straight, straightening what is curly, bleaching this/highlighting that, products that promise to make youngsters look older and oldsters look younger never lose their appeal. “Stuff” made out of low-tech squished fruit or high-tech spliced genes all promise to adorn and ultimately to transform our faces, save our skin, and sanctify our souls. If only we will buy just this ONE product. An ...

709. Just a Little Faith Will Do

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Presbyterian pastor Dave Wilkinson tells a hilarious story about Randy Johnson, a former quarterback for Oklahoma State University. Randy is a nephew of the late President Lyndon Johnson. It had not been a good year for Randy Johnson or the Oklahoma State team. And, to top it off, for the last game of the year, they faced the mighty Oklahoma Sooners. The game with the Sooners was almost over. The Cowboys of Oklahoma State were behind by six points. They had the ball, but there was time for only one play. ...

710. Living in The Present

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

Just stop for a moment and take a look at how many opportunities are yours today, right now, this moment. Think about where you are — this church, this group of people, the person sitting beside you. Think about the one behind you and in front of you. Consider how your presence might affect each of these people. Think about what your presence here stands for in this congregation and in this community. This is your life! You are making a statement by being here. You can use these moments not only to fill ...

711. God Never Gives Up on Us

1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20, (11:14-15)

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

Have you noticed that no matter how much of a mess we make of our lives, God never gives up on us? We try to do the right thing, but fail over and over again. Paul talks openly about the fact that he knows the right thing to do, but just keeps doing the wrong thing. He can't seem to help himself. I guess it all started with the first Adam who got to work early one morning and parked on the line between two parking places so that everyone who came after him has parked on the line ever since. What a mess we ...

712. Seeking Christ

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

King Duncan

Sometime back Dr. Phil Berry took a picture outside a roadside convenience store. The store was on the Texas border on the highway leading to Colorado. It was one of those portable advertising signs with flashing lights along the top meant to lure in passersby. At the top of the sign it read, “Last chance Lotto Texas, clean restrooms, snacks.” Then, at the bottom of the sign, almost like an afterthought, it read, “Jesus is Lord.” “It’s like, on the way out of Texas, whatever you need, they have it,” says ...

713. Don’t Touch Me With That Water!

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

"Fill the glasses with water, honey. Daddy's guests will be here soon," Mother said. Her young son carefully filled the fragile, crystal goblets. "How's it look, Mom?" Surveying the elegantly set table, she smiled and ruffled his hair. "You did great work, honey. Daddy will be so pleased." The boy grinned in anticipation of his father's approval. The door bell rang. "Our guests have arrived. Let's go greet them. We're done in here." Opening the door, the boy took his father's hand. "Come and see! Come and ...

714. Serving the King of Kings

John 18:28-40

Sermon

King Duncan

In 1957, Ben Michtom, president of the Ideal Toy Company, had a brainstorm: why not sell a Jesus doll? The majority of kids in America were Christian, so he figured parents would jump at the opportunity to make playtime a religious experience. Other Ideal executives were horrified, but Michtom consulted with some religious leaders, including most notably the Pope, and the Jesus doll was born. It had beautiful brown glass eyes and was wrapped in molded swaddling cloth. It came in a 12” x 16” package, brown ...

715. Born at Bethlehem — Hope

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Ellyn Sanna was twelve years old when she went on a camping trip to New England with her family. Four children and two parents were packed inside the family car. The tent was stowed away on top of the vehicle traveling from site to site. Each night they set up camp as the light faded. She tells that there were many happy memories from that vacation, but there was also the deep feeling of loneliness and being misunderstood. She was the youngest of the four children and too young to go on the long hiking ...

716. Mary AND Martha, Heart AND Home

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

On 10 July 2013 someone posted a YouTube video. Three days later it had 5 million hits. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD6wdrVFc0g The one minute clip shows an amazing life-or-death race. It was shot by some Krueger Park tourists on safari in South Africa. Routinely and sternly, visitors to the park are told to stay in their vehicles at all times. But tourists being tourists, you know the rest of the story. The video shows cars parked along the access road with all their windows and doors ...

717. A Faith that Leaves a Legacy

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

King Duncan

What would you like to have as your epitaph some day? Have you ever given that any thought? What will people say about you after you’re gone? It’s always interesting to me to read some of the humorous inscriptions that have appeared on tombstones in days gone past. For example, here is one that should have been edited: Here lies Col. Brown . . . Shot in battle by an enemy soldier. “Well Done Thou Good and Faithful Servant.” A tombstone in Girard, Pennsylvania carries an epitaph that probably would be the ...

718. Jesus’ Prayer: The Pause in the Battle

John 17:1-11

Sermon

David O. Bales

In 1936, near the beginning of the Spanish Civil War one horrible center of fighting was the Alcázar fortress near Toledo. In the middle of horrific fighting, however, every day the firing stopped twice in order to allow a blind beggar to tap his way on the street between the firing lines. We can imagine how welcome those few minutes were to the men on both sides. They probably hoped that the blind man walked slower to give them a few more seconds of peace. Then the reprieve ended and the slaughter again ...

719. Five Ways to be "Holy" During Holy Week

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

“Everyone else is doing it.” Do you remember those words? Do you remember begging your Mom or Dad for permission to do something they would ordinarily not permit by insisting, “But Ma, everyone else is getting to do it!” The typical parental response to such childish logic usually went something along the lines of, “Well, if everyone else jumped off a bridge would you do it too?” (Of course now that grown men and women actually PAY to go bungee jumping off of bridges, that argument might not have as much ...

720. The Knot: Frayed (Part 2)

1 Peter 3:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

There is a man in Chicago by the name of Slats Grobnik who sold Christmas trees. One year he noticed a couple on a hunt for a Christmas tree. Someone told him the couple was barely making ends meet. After looking at all the expensive trees they found a Scotch pine that was okay on one side, but it was really bare on the other one. They picked up another tree that was not much better. It was kind of full on one side and scraggly on the other. She whispered something in her husband’s ear and he walked over ...

721. Satisfied Customer

John 6:25-59

Sermon

James Merritt

Well just who is this man known all over the world as “Jesus?” It is a fascinating question and when I was up in Canada recently I was able to ask a lady named Ingrid that very question. We had a chance to get into a spiritual conversation and she said she had rarely gone to church growing up except at Christmas and Easter and it had been many years since she had been in any kind of church at all. I asked her if she would mind us talking about spiritual things and she admitted that she hadn’t had a ...

722. Pride Is a Noxious Weed in the Garden of Life

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

The gospel reading for this week is the parable about two very different men, a Pharisee and a tax collector who went to pray at the Temple in Jerusalem. It is a familiar story. In fact, it is so familiar that some of the surprising edge has worn smooth with the retelling. To grasp its meaning more fully, we need to listen again with fresh ears and open hearts. A little background information might be helpful. In the first century, tax collectors were considered the dregs of society. Taxation in the far- ...

723. What Did Jesus Do?

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

King Duncan

A man walked into a gift shop that sold religious items. Near the cash register he saw a display of caps with “WWJD” printed on all of them. He was puzzled over what the letters could mean, but couldn’t figure it out, so he asked the clerk. The clerk replied that the letters stood for “What Would Jesus Do,” and was meant to inspire people to not make rash decisions, but rather to imagine what Jesus would do in the same situation. The man thought a moment and then replied, “Well, I’m pretty sure Jesus ...

724. The High Priesthood of Jesus

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

In the last verses of chapter 4 the author again exhorts his readers to faithfulness, but this time on the basis of his argument concerning the high priesthood of Jesus. The connection has already been made between Jesus’ high priesthood and his ability to help his people (see 2:17–18), but now it is elaborated and leads the author into the beginning of a discourse on why Jesus is qualified to be high priest. First the author reviews the role and calling of high priests (5:1–4), and then he turns to the ...

725. The Impending Departure II

John 16:5-16, John 16:17-33

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The second farewell discourse runs most closely parallel to the first precisely where it is most properly a “farewell” (i.e., where it addresses directly the question of Jesus’ impending departure; cf. 13:33). Here, inevitably, is also where the differences between the two discourses become most noticeable. Whereas the first discourse was largely structured around a series of questions by various disciples, here the question-and-answer method seems to be consciously abandoned. The earlier discourse began ...

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