Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 51 to 75 of 106 results

Psalm 30:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and a spiritual rhythm that pulses throughout the universe, inviting us to participate in a dance, in a joyful response to life, in a resonance with love. Jumping into this dance doesn't take any special skills or shoes. It doesn't require a good band or a flawless floor. Anyone can join in at any time as long as they have access to the one necessary attribute. Joy. You can't dance without joy. You can't move without feeling joy. You can't stay in rhythm without hearing joy. You can't whirl with your ...

52. Out With the Old - In With the New

Philippians 3:12-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... . Even though this man walked with God, had a dynamic prayer life, was winning people to Jesus right and left, and even writing inspired Scripture; he still said, "I have not arrived yet." He says in v.12, "I am not yet perfected." The word perfected does not mean flawless, it means mature. What Paul was saying was, there was still plenty of room for improvement in his Christian life. He still had a lot of growing in the Lord to do. I find it amazing that perhaps the greatest man of God in all of the New ...

53. God's Will: Don't Leave Home Without It

Romans 12:1-2

Sermon

James Merritt

... bright, very forceful, a strong leader, and in a moment the deck was buzzing with action. He was barking commands here and there like a veteran, and everything was moving with the harmony of a Swiss clock. The destroyer made its way out of the harbor flawlessly even though it is a very meticulous and treacherous maneuver. They were on their way in record time when someone came to that young ensign and said, "You have a message from the captain." Well, he thought that was strange because it was a radio ...

54. Your Word is Your Bond

Matthew 5:33-37

Sermon

James Merritt

... expensive. But often when it was fired in the furnace tiny cracks would appear. Dishonest merchants would smear pearly-white wax over these cracks which would pass for true porcelain until it was held up to the light of the sun. Honest dealers marked their flawless porcelain this way—Sine Cera—"without wax." When your words are held up to the light of the holiness of God, be sincere. Without wax let your yes be yes, and your no be no. 1 Jimmy Bowen, Cited in Sharon Bernstein, "When Entertainment Lip ...

55. A Precious Gift

Matthew 13:44-46

Illustration

Brett Blair

... what heaven, the Kingdom of Heaven requires of its followers. I love this last parable because Jesus does not say the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl of great price. He says the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant, a merchant who finds a great deal on a flawless stone and does everything in his power to close the sale. That's commitment to a greater cause. That's sacrifice and hard work. That's what heaven is like. Amen.

56. Walking on the Water

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... winning the gold. Michelle Kwan, on the other hand, skated after Sarah and was expected to win the gold. She was a true champion, beloved by skating fans the world over, and the recipient of many medals in her career. But after Sarah Hughes’s flawless performance, Michelle went out determined not to make any mistakes. Consequently, she fell, and took the bronze. Zig Ziglar contends that while Sarah was focused on what to do, Michelle was focused on what to avoid doing. And it made the difference. (2) That ...

57. Not Bad, Just Too Busy

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Mary begged for special consideration, he was supposed to say those same words again, “No room.” Eventually the day of the performance came. Lots of family and friends were in the audience. Mary and Joseph approached the inn and knocked on the door. Jimmy opened the door and said flawlessly, “No room.” Then Mary said, “But I’m very tired and I’m going to have a baby real soon. If I don’t find a safe place for my baby to be born, I’m going to cry.” Jimmy paused for a moment, and then said ...

58. Why Is Life So Unfair?

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... have lots of patience. He fussed and fumed with God for about 35 chapters in his book, but he did not reject God. Finally, in chapter 40, we have the climax of the story. God visits Job personally. He gives Job a glimpse of his incredible power and his flawless character. But he does not give Job an answer or an explanation. After meeting God personally, Job no longer needs an explanation. Here is the bottom line—IF YOU KNOW THAT GOD IS GOOD AND LOVING AND THAT YOU ARE HIS BELOVED CHILD, YOU CAN COPE WITH ...

59. Getting the Face We Deserve

Exodus 34:29-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... boomer generation may just be willing to concede that they should begin to "act their age," it is abundantly clear that they have no intention of looking it. The standard of beauty, the epitome of handsomeness, is still defined by those flawless faces we see on magazine models and movie stars. Big eyes, perfect noses, collagen enhanced lips, soaring cheekbones are all interchangeable from model to model, star to star. Ironically, while Jews and Christians have both been characterized at various times in ...

60. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Then, anywhere from five minutes to five days later, the positively perfect response, the slickest sarcasm or the healing message, floats effortlessly into our heads. There, in the privacy of our cars or offices or homes, we conduct a flawlessly executed, logically organized, stunningly articulate conversation with no one but ourselves to appreciate it. "I coulda said...," "I shoulda said...," "I woulda said...," can be some of the bitterest phrases ever spoken. Cognitive therapists Arthur Freeman and Rose ...

61. Advent 2

Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 3:1-6, Philippians 1:1-11

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... you People:will bring it to completion by the Day of Christ Jesus. Pastor:Friends, believe the Good News! People:In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Exhortation Grow richer in love, in knowledge and insight of every kind, then on the Day of Christ, you will be flawless and without blame, reaping the full harvest of goodness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory of God. PRAYER OF THE DAY In this year of our Lord, in this day of our times, Speaker-Out-of-Eternity, let your word be heard again, that every ...

62. Sex and the City

Exodus 20:14

Sermon

James Merritt

... wicked bible", but it is so valuable. It is because it has probably the mother of all misprints of any book ever published in history. In 1631, King Charles I ordered one-thousand Bibles from an English printer, named Robert Barker. It was almost flawlessly done, but there was one small, but unbelievable typographical error. In the seventh commandment, they left out the little word "not" and so in this Bible, you read this verse, "Thou Shalt Commit Adultery." King Charles I was so enraged that he fined the ...

63. So, Are You The Messiah?

John 10:22-30

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... . To try to fill in blank spaces with our so-called brilliance may only confuse the very people we are attempting to help. What more do we need to know? We are going to be with God forever, living in bliss and perfection. There will be no end to our flawless and perfect existence. Time will have no bearing. The creator of time will be in charge and no one will be able to remove us from the Father's hand. What else can we seriously ask for? Some of us have believed virtually all our lives that heaven or ...

64. Standing Tall in the Lord

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... of intolerance is also quite strong today. Business, in fact, every realm of society today, mandates that we perform. We are to do the job well, rapidly, and responsibly; error is almost not acceptable. We forget our humanness and expect others to perform flawlessly. We become intolerant of anything save the best. Certainly we need to strive to do the best we can, but errors of omission and commission are endemic to humanity. We must accept them. Consumerism shadows us in darkness as well. The more things ...

65. Finding Our Place in All Creation

Genesis 1:1, 26-31

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... steps back from his work and says, “Ah yes, that’s what I want it to be. It is just right. Very good.” To be good is to be right. To be good is to be reliable. To be good is to be fitting. To be good is to be flawless. Goodness is not a sudden blaze of glory won. Goodness is not fame and glory. Goodness is the accomplishment of the purpose for which we were made. Goodness is at the core of the universe. Wendell Berry is an author and poet who still lives close to the place of ...

66. Stepping Into the Stream

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... why I succeeded.” Did you watch Paul Hamm make a comeback the other night in the all around gymnastics? I didn’t. I went to bed when he faltered badly on the vault dropping to twelfth place. But he came back later that night to perform flawlessly on the parallel bars and high bar to become the first American male to ever win the all around championship. (This sermon was preached before the controversy.) There is an old story about an Italian peasant who bumped into a monk who lived in a monastery high ...

67. Being Open to the Impossible

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... get there, I’ll put on your cap and uniform and you will introduce me as your chauffeur, and yourself as me. Then you can give the lecture. For awhile that evening, everything went according to plan. The chauffeur delivered the lecture flawlessly. But as the lecture concluded, a professor in the audience rose and asked a complex question involving mathematical equations and formulas. The quick—thinking chauffeur replied, “Sir, the solution to that problem is so simple, I’m really surprised you’ve ...

68. Luke 10:38-42

Luke 10:38-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... saying. She “hears the word” and in doing so she enters into a discipleship relationship and she participates in the coming of the kingdom. The real measure of genuine hospitality is not opening the door, not serving an elegant meal, not providing a flawless environment. The real measure of hospitality is attending to the presence of the guest, basking in his beauty, hearing what he says, welcoming his words. The fancy dishes, the elaborate meals, the good wine, will all be gone. What remains is Jesus ...

69. Righting Wrong

Romans 9:1-5

Sermon

Larry Lange

... 's commands, so little regard for mission, for discipleship, for sacrificial giving, and for love for one another. Reading the letter, I grieved as the apostle Paul grieved for his people in today's lesson. Jim was absolutely right about everything. His reasoning was flawless. I had no argument against it. His eloquent, articulate prose intensified my grief over losing Jim as a partner in the gospel. We needed him and all his wonderful gifts in our attempt to continue to make disciples and tithers out of a ...

70. Antidote for Bad Times

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... us. It produces impatience, rage, even ill health. It destroys friendships and leads to isolation and hostility. We are much more likely to appreciate and respect the person who humbly confesses his guilt than the self-righteous individual who professes to be flawless. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector." And Jesus said, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he ...

71. Faith In Ferris

Illustration

... , he invited a newspaper reporter to accompany him and his wife for the inaugural ride. It was a windy July day, so a stiff breeze struck the wheel with great force as it slowly began its rotation. Despite the wind, the wheel turned flawlessly. After one revolution, Ferris called for the machine to be stopped so that he, his wife, and the reporter could step out. In braving that one revolution on the windblown Ferris wheel, each occupant demonstrated genuine faith. Mr. Ferris began with the scientific ...

72. The Chauffeur's Lecture

Humor Illustration

... we get there I'll put on your cap and uniform and you will introduce me as your chauffeur and yourself as me. Then you will give the lecture." And for a while everything went according to plan. The chauffeur delivered the lecture flawlessly. But as the lecture concluded, a professor in the audience rose and asked a complex question involving mathematical equations and formulas. The quick thinking chauffeur replied, "Sir, the solution to that problem is so simple, I'm really surprised you have asked me ...

73. Bear the Light

John 1:19-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... s heart flutter and tattle. Or maybe it was the choreography (especially for the teenagers present), with a Radio City Rockettes-like segue that moved the musical from “Silent Night” to “Joy to the World.” It was almost too perfect — lines delivered flawlessly (if sometimes giggly), solos pitched-true and pure, duets harmonized like Amy Grant and Vince Hill. Then came the “littlest shepherds.” Each one was dressed in a white toga, with a metallic blue frilly sash tied at the waist and a robin ...

74. A Road Straight to Your Heart

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... point was better than his. She was above the maze. She could see what he couldn’t. (7) Are you lost in a maze this Advent season? Isn’t it time you paused for a moment and listened to God’s voice? God’s perspective on your life is flawless. There are several things God probably would ask you about if you were to listen: your relationships with your family and friends; your priorities with regard to your use of your time and money. Maybe that secret sin that you run to every time you’re feeling bad ...

75. Did God Really Say...?

Romans 10:8-13

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... RSV). We are all murderers. We all have hands covered with blood. We are all liable to God's judgment. God's word says, "Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 7:21). We thought our confession of faith and our flawless recitation of the Creed for memory mattered, but now we can't even be sure of that. The voice continues to speak softly, gently, persuasively, "Did God really say all that? But you know the truth. You know that you can't count on God. You are on ...

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