Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 51 to 75 of 1230 results

Judges 4:1-24, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11, Psalm 123:1-4

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... with no less than ten thousand troops, when he is confronted by the prophetic summons of Deborah, he hesitates. He then responds in v. 8 with a condition. He will go into battle only if Deborah accompanies him. The story does not condemn Barak, but neither does it idealize him. He is average. Instead, the point of focus is on Deborah and later on Jael, who kills Sisera with a tent peg. They are heroes. And given Deborah's comment to Barak in v. 9, the heroic role of women in this holy war is meant to ...

52. Exuberant and Full of Joy

Mark 10:1-12

Illustration

Donald B. Strobe

... also tend to encourage the kids to outgrow it. Syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman, a few years ago, wrote these wise words: "We raise our children with ethical time bombs, built-in disillusionment alarms. We allow our children their ideals until they are perhaps 13 or 15 or 18 or 22. But if they don't let go of their ideals, we worry about whether they will be able to function in the real world. After all, the real world is some place else. We have to be tough and even a little cynical." Goodman goes on to ...

53. Blemished Sacrifices and Admonition for the Priests

Malachi 1:6-14, Malachi 2:1-9

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... for God’s honor (Num. 25:10–13; cf. Mal. 2:2, 5). But Malachi gives the label “covenant” to the special obligations and provisions for all the priests, who are Levites, as set forth in the law (e.g., Deut. 17:8–13; 18:1–8; Num. 18). The ideal priest revered the Lord and stood in awe of the Lord’s name, for God had kept covenant by giving him life and peace—the best gifts of God to humankind, gifts no one else can bestow. 2:6–9 A comparison of the indictment of Malachi’s priestly audience ...

54. The Law of the Temple

Ezekiel 43:13-27, Ezekiel 44:1-31, Ezekiel 45:1-12, Ezekiel 45:13--46:24

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... of the eastern gate (44:1–2) for the prince (44:3) surely requires such an interpretation. Who would dare insert such a qualification unless it described an actual, well-entrenched practice? The nasiʾ in chs. 40–48 is a real, rather than a potential or ideal, leader. As the title nasiʾ refers to the secular leader at the time that this edition of the Law of the Temple was completed, the term must refer to the governor of Persian-period Judah (as Hölscher argued; see Hesekiel, pp. 211–12). Although ...

55. Epilogue to the Law of the Temple: River, Land, City

Ezekiel 47:1-12, Ezekiel 47:13-23, Ezekiel 48:1-29, Ezekiel 48:30-35

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... “Hamath” was miscopied following, rather than preceding, Zedad. This is a fairly common mistake in lists of this sort. 48:1–29 On the division of the land according to the wilderness battle camp see Levenson, Program of Restoration, pp. 116–21, and M. Greenberg, “Idealism and Practicality in Numbers 35:4–5 and Ezekiel 48,” JAOS 88 (1968), pp. 59–65. 48:8 The sanctuary will be in the center of it. By arranging seven tribes to the north of Jerusalem, and five to the south, the plan allows for ...

56. The Disciples Confess Jesus as the Messiah

Matthew 16:1-4, Matthew 16:5-12, Matthew 16:13-20

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... as moral examples. This is certainly the case in teaching the Bible to children, where we tend to minimize the faults of biblical figures, especially those we have difficulty explaining to children (e.g., sexual sins of Judah, of David, etc.). Yet by idealizing and moralizing these characters, we not only do a disservice to the authors’ intentions; we also run the risk of downplaying the theological themes of these narratives, in which God is the focus (and hero). Illustrating the Text To confess Jesus to ...

57. “You Are My Son; Today I Have Become Your Father”

Psalm 2:1-12

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... in place at his coronation. The prospect of the “anointed” king (2:2) being Solomon is even more remote, since no evidence of such a vassal uprising exists, and added to that, Solomon was hardly the ideal king that the Lord should call him his “anointed,” unless, of course, the psalm intends to describe the ideal king, as does Psalm 72, that is, a psalm about Solomon. Another possibility is to view the psalm as a celebration of God’s sovereignty over the nations in the most general sense of the ...

58. Heart Shaped Stone

Psalm 118:1-29

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , but within all of our relationships, whether private or public. We tend to build our social relationships on “imaginary stones.” We base and construct our lives and hopes not on an imperfect rock-solid truth but on what we consider to be an ideal, imagined conformity. One day, we wake up discovering that we have no real foundation under our feet, that we have built an entire life, or family, or relationship, or social structure, or church merely on our own expectations. Placing our hopes in a self ...

59. Advent 1

Luke 21:5-38, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Jeremiah 33:1-26, Psalm 25:1-22

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... of children born to unmarried mothers, single parent families, and open homosexual relations are among the indicators of a breakdown of the traditional family. These factors and others disturb many Christians. They look for some final solution to these problems in an ideal world where Christ would rule and establish finally and completely the kingdom of heaven on earth. They may be all too ready to find hope for a secure future by following those who assure them that they have correctly cracked the code ...

60. Finding Faith In Unlikely People

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... principles which give this nation some of its uniqueness. Tough, cool, calculating, our man-at-the-top, embodying for many the ideal man-come-of-age, believed power was the whole name of the game. Power. Period. Nothing more. Get before you are ... the judiciary. But all laws rest squarely on the will of the people, and the will of the people rests on principles, values and ideals which are divine in origin. Ultimately, man's law rests upon the law of God. Likewise medicine rests upon the power of healing which ...

61. Proper 13

Colossians 3:1-17, Hosea 11:1-11, Luke 12:13-21

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... up because there is where Christ is. He is high and holy, and we are to be like him. We have a perpendicular dimension to life. The Christian has a transcendental quality of life. To look upward and to seek the things above means to have worthy goals, ideals, and beautiful dreams of what is excellent. Think noble thoughts. Seek the finest and the best. 2. Put (vv. 8-10). This three-letter word is often used in this pericope. We are to "put" away from us various sins such as anger, malice, and foul talk. We ...

62. Advent 2

2 Peter 3:1-18, Isaiah 40:1-31, Mark 1:1-8

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... King. Isaiah 40 has the Lord coming to save and comfort his dispossessed people. He comes as a mighty king who will rule his people in justice. At the same time, he is a loving shepherd, caring for his wounded sheep. The Old Testament held up the ideal of the king of Israel as a shepherd. In so doing the emphasis shifts from the desires of the king to the needs of the people. The Gospel Lesson from Mark 1 has John the Baptist pointing to this ruler who was mightier than himself. COMMENTARY Old Testament ...

63. PROPER 13

Lk 12:13-21 · Col 3:1-11 · Ecc 1:2; 2:18-26 · 2 Ki 13:14-20a

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

64. Our Midian Moment

Illustration

Staff

... . He was a shepherd now, keeping Jethro's sheep, hoping nobody would find him in the mountains to which he had fled. But God found him. And God turned him around. Out of a burning bush God said, in effect, "Moses, don't give up on your dream." Your ideal is good, your goal is worthy, said God. Go down there and bring my people out, God said; but this time do it my way, and I will be with you, and this time you will not fail. Well, you know the story: Moses did go and he did not ...

65. Preaching Unpopular Truth - 1943

John 18:38

Sermon

Kent Moorehead

... hard enough, they will know it - and they will not only allow him to utter his deepest convictions, they will virtually compel him to do so by the urgency of their expectation. Lastly, I deliberately immerse myself in the spirit of my own earthly father, who has been my ideal of all that a minister should be. Very seldom do I enter the pulpit without standing a brief while before his picture in my study. He died when I was only a lad, but I remember him as though he were with me now - as he surely is. I ...

66. Great Grace Was Upon Them!

Acts 4:32-37

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... who were beaten down. They didn’t say, "that’s your tough luck!" No, they responded in love; and love says, "when you hurt, I hurt." Love shares what it has with those who have even less. Some biblical scholars see this event as an unrealistic idealized picture, or as an unsuccessful experiment in communism. We could reason that if all the houses had been sold, then the congregation would not have had any homes to meet in. It is also hard to understand how a community could live indefinitely by using up ...

67. Resurrection: From Burn-Out to New Vision

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... exhaustion, is feeling rotten about yourself. It often happens to people who, like Elijah, have spent their lives trying to do their best. Often we start out running on faith striving to reach some high ideals. Then, because we are afraid of being less than responsible or less than loving, we start running on fear. Our ideals become tyrants that are always judging us, making us feel like failures because we can never live up to them. We become more and more exhausted, less and less able to live up to our ...

68. The Racial Gap

Psalm 53:1-6

Sermon

William McKee Aber

... to me, is the basic reason for the current black separateness - a retrenching on the part of the black community to discover itself. Our call is to understand it. If love would be genuine, it must be honest - and understanding. Adam Clayton Powell isn’t my ideal for a congressman (although there are some white elected officials who fall short of my particular admiration also), but the point is he happens to be Harlem’s choice. Not every black citizen likes him but to a large number he is a symbol of a ...

69. Overcoming Loneliness

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... ugliness, the greed, and things even worse than that?" Jesus answers, "I see far below the surface a real desire for goodness, and a hatred of all that is ugly in life." But she continues, "I have broken my good resolutions; I have lost my chance; my ideals are gone; my faith is no longer meaningful." Jesus looks at her tenderly and whispers, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost." Suddenly she was young again; springtime had returned to her soul. As the vision faded, she heard him ...

70. The Marriage of Adam and Eve

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

... boy for the wife, or when it becomes the private empire where each spouse has a personal agenda that is so well hidden even from him/herself - the agenda of self-seeking. The honeymoon is over then. The Hilton bridal suite becomes the penthouse sour. Idealism to Realism Be sure of this! The story back in Genesis is not another version of the marriage dream - the fairy tale of prince and princess who found happiness forever. Every pastor at the altar has seen the starry-eyed, love-blinded couples on their ...

71. The Star Thrower

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... , is of infinite worth. It assures all the down- and-out of God's love and his intent to exalt them to wholeness and well-being. But high or low in the world, this Star of Bethlehem, this Jesus, has placed high and lofty ideals before us and above us to inspire us. Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring men on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny, said Carl Scharz, in an address in ...

72. The Apostles Creed: "The Holy Catholic Churc"

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... church is to bear witness to God's love for the world in Jesus Christ."(7) Simple sentence. Considerable challenge. And for all its flaws, the church has done a mighty work. This called out church has given the world ideals...ideals like religious and political liberty...ideals like racial unity, social justice, and human brotherhood. Through the work of the church and the convictions which have come from her, the most sinful of the world's economic and social and political evils have been driven to defeat ...

73. Happy Birthday, Dear Church

Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... more, or give more. If only... If only... Well, the truth is that the Spirit has been with us and IS with us still, enabling us to accomplish some wonderful things. The church has given and still gives the world ideals... ideals like religious and political liberty...ideals like racial unity, social justice, and human brotherhood. Through the work of the church and the convictions which have come from her, the most sinful of the world's economic and social and political evils have been driven to defeat ...

74. For Future Generations

Psalm 22:1-31

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... single, or even if we’ve never had children of our own, there’s something extra special about a niece or a nephew or the child of a friend who’s been given our name. Even if we die, something of ourselves lives on. II. THEY AFFIRM OUR VALUES AND IDEALS There’s a second reason why David talks about children here. He says, in essence, that they confirm the values of our lives. He wants his children to worship his God, he says. He wants his descendants to look back and to say that he was on the right ...

75. Staying Alive All Your Ministry Life: Will You Finish Well?

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... to recognize that the mood of discouragement is often the psychological reaction to extreme mental and physical fatigue. When you’re seeking to deal with discouragement, be sure that you are adequately rested. Second, discouragement often results from an impractical idealism, an illogical attempt at perfectionistic activity. Now, I know about that. You will be hard-pressed to find a more optimistic, idealistic person. How often have I had to cry out, “Oh, hopeless idealist that I am: who will deliver ...

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