Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 51 to 75 of 189 results

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

... is nothing less than the power of God unto salvation. Jesus dared to compare himself to the serpent Moses lifted up on a pole so that all might see him and begin to live. Jesus was saying, in effect, "I will become that copper serpent, the very symbol and representation of my exact opposite. When I am lifted up on the cross, I will become the focus and center for the salvation and new life of all who will but look and believe in me. For your sake I will become sin itself and I will experience death - my ...

52. A Tale to be Told

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

George Bass

... the heavens, surrounded by the busts of seven angels. She had Christ standing on his feet - as Stephen saw him - with full-sized angels around him - and she put words in his mouth, "Welcome to heaven." Only two of the class had caught the biblical representation of heaven as another "world" where Christ reigned as Lord of all and welcomed those who believe in him into the realm where life never ends. Stephen must have influenced them as they set out to complete their drawings of heaven. Because he saw such ...

53. Your Image of Tomorrow

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... and paint a picture on the canvas of your mind. The picture may be clear or dim, bright or dark, inviting or forbidding; or it may be a mixture of elements; but, whatever the quality of your artistry, you are making some kind of image of tomorrow. In our representation of the future, we are painters rather than photographers. We form our impressions of what we think things will be like, and we do not so much live by tomorrow’s reality as we do by our impression of what that reality will be. As a matter of ...

54. BANNER MAKER

Song of Songs 6:1-13

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... just as the flags of nations are distinguishable today. It was the early significance of these animal standards that later led to trouble with Rome. The Romans, too, just like everyone else, used various symbols to top their banners, eventually ending with the representation of an eagle. That was all right, as long as they kept their banners in the field where they belonged. But when they brought them into the Temple, they were violating God’s restrictions against images and so trouble broke out - trouble ...

55. Happiness Is ... the Kingship of Jesus

John 18:28-40

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... mother hugged her daughter approvingly, and grandmother looked on with a pleased smile. Soon, bruised feelings soothed and broken relationships mended, all were laughing joyfully. That family exchange was a thought provoking little drama. The four were a symbol, a representation, of the human family under the kingship of Christ. We hurt one another. Christ insists that the culprit repent and ask the injured party for forgiveness. He expects those who have been hurt to pardon and forgive the offender. Then ...

56. The Shepherd Who Loved His Sheep

John 10:1-21

Sermon

George Bass

... visits the Holy Land seems to buy an olivewood carving of the Shepherd with the little lamb upon his shoulder. It is one of the most beloved symbols portraying the nature of Christ to people. But that type of carving is radically different from the representation of the Good Shepherd which has graced the apses of Christian church buildings ever since they were first built. High on my tourist-agenda, when I first visited Rome, was the Church of Santa Costanza, mainly because I had heard a priest describe the ...

57. The Star Thrower

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... . Can you hear it now? Governor Pataki the Great, or President Bill Clinton, Ephiphanes! Other rulers of history were not overwhelmed with modesty. Some of the Caesars began to demand that they be worshiped as gods. The Emperor of Japan until recent times was thought to be the representation of the Divine on earth. And in the West, as well as the East, the doctrine of the divine right of kings was well in place. In fact, it was quite well in place with Herod the Great. He had been made King of Judea in 40 B ...

58. The Incomparable Christ

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... eikon; even though we force Paul to jump through the centuries to explain, those of you who are computer junkies know about icons - click on the icon, and you get the whole program. In the eikon Jesus, you have, not just a picture or some representation, you actually have GOD. Paul then talks about creation and says Christ is the "firstborn." Firstborn is understood in the ancient world as more than simply order of appearance; it is a title of honor. Thus, for Paul, firstborn of all creation means that this ...

59. The Apostles' Creed: I Believe

Mark 9:14-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... in those early days of persecution.) One with which we have become familiar dates to the middle of the second century and is known as the Old Roman Symbol ("symbol" being the word of choice because all a creed could do, then or now, is offer a "representation" of the faith - no words could ever completely tell the story). From the Old Roman Symbol developed the statement that has come down to us today. A word here on the title, "Apostles' Creed." It was first identified as such in 390 AD in a letter sent ...

60. Doing Battle with Demons

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... evil which confronts us at every turn. By way of background, let me share a bit of what leads up to an annual Assembly. Representatives are chosen from each of our 170 Presbyteries, the numbers determined on the basis of total membership, with equal representation of clergy and laity. They are called COMMISSIONERS, because they are COMMISSIONED by their Presbyteries to do the work of the WHOLE church and to vote as they believe they are led by the Holy Spirit, not on the basis of partisanship of regionalism ...

61. When You Are Anxious About Many Things

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... follow him and he would show Peale how they survived. Taking Peale back into one of the darkest cells of the prison, the guide showed Peale a crude outline of a man~s face that had been carved on the stone wall of the cell. It was someone's representation of the face of Jesus. "When things were the hardest and our people were about to give up because they thought they could stand it no more, they would come in here," the guide said. "They would put their hands on the face of Jesus to remind themselves that ...

62. Comfort My People

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... THIS BRINGS US TO OUR THIRD WORD, LOVE. Isaiah ends this magnificent prophecy with these words, "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." What a beautiful representation of the love of God. As we are so fond of saying, "this is the reason for the season" forgiveness, God's presence with us and love. That is why even pagans love Christmas. Who can resist the outpouring of love that this season of the year ...

63. The Pearl Of Great Price

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... . If they are not, it may be that we are still some distance from the kingdom. THIS BRINGS US TO THE FINAL THING TO BE SAID: THE KINGDOM IS A PRESENT REALITY. THE KINGDOM IS A PRECIOUS RELATIONSHIP. FINALLY, THE KINGDOM, AS WE KNOW IT, IS AN IMPERFECT REPRESENTATION. The kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God that we experience in this world is just a foretaste of the kingdom that is to come. There is a city whose builder and maker is God. The kingdom of heaven is not only present but it is also future ...

64. Time For Action

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... and went. The father went to the second son and made the same request of him. "Sure, Pop," said the second son, but he never did go do the work. "Which son," asked Jesus, "did the will of his father?" Like most of Jesus' parables, we see here perfect representations of human nature. THE RESPONSE OF THE FIRST SON IS THAT OF INDIGNANT PROTEST. "No, I won't go. How dare you ask me to do that! You know I was going swimming with my friends." Many of you who are parents have encountered that kind of response at ...

65. Man, Give Me Some Bread: I Want To See God

John 6:25-59

Sermon

King Duncan

Many years ago, a Mrs. Maria Rubio of Lake Arthur, New Mexico, was rolling out tortillas for lunch when she saw something that took her breath away. Looking back at her from a flat tortilla was the face of Jesus! The skillet had burned a perfect representation of a slender, bearded face onto the surface of the bread. Now I am not certain how Mrs. Rubio knew that this was Jesus, but she convinced a reluctant priest to bless the piece of bread, then she built a shrine around it. Mrs. Rubio quit her job so ...

66. So, You Want To Know About Love?

John 13:31-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... in the world, but if we don't have love, then we have nothing. And that's why it is so appropriate to talk about love on Mothers Day. Our mothers are usually our first source of love, and for many of us, our mothers are the best representation we have of true, Christ-like love. What are some of the characteristics of Christ-like love? What characteristics stand out as we think of relationships within the family on this special day? FIRST OF ALL, CHRIST-LIKE LOVE IS SECURE. As St. Paul tells us, love never ...

67. Building A Home

1 Peter 3:8-22, 1 Peter 3:1-7

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: a snail, or a turtle, or a crab. (Pictures of any of these animals, or stuffed toy representations work better than the real thing) Good morning, boys and girls: I have a question for you: which animal carries its home around on its back? There are a few of them, aren't there? The snail carries its home around on its back. So do turtles and crabs. Whenever ...

68. A Powerful Testimony

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... , "Jesus is the best photograph God ever had taken."(4) Often people will come to disturbing images of God in Scripture--passages in which God is represented as a god of vengeance, of violence, of venom and vanity. And the obvious question is, is this a true representation of God? And the answer is, does this picture of God look like Jesus? If it does not, it cannot be accurate. Any time we seek to interpret the Scripture, we do so in light of our knowledge of Christ. Charles H. Spurgeon told of a young ...

69. The Guiding Light

Isaiah 60:1-22

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A globe and a flashlight Boys and girls, I have a globe with me. What is a globe? That's right. It's a small representation of our earth. Suppose I shine this flashlight on the globe. What would the flashlight represent? That's right. The sun. Throughout history, when people have talked about the world having problems, they have referred to it as a dark world. The Bible calls it that. But the Bible also ...

70. Grace in the Midst of Weakness

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... and women whose lives were right with God. Their faces are placid and trusting. Their heads are often enveloped by golden auras or haloes. All of them were heroes of the faith, either from the Bible or from Christian history. They are spectacular representations of spiritual victory -- but also intimidating. How can an ordinary person grow up to become a stained glass saint? We sense that our weaknesses disqualify us. Generic frailties cling to us. We wonder how God puts up with our erratic attempts to jump ...

71. A Hope for Peace

Romans 15:4-13

Sermon

James L. Killen

... pass a display of massive wooden plaques hung on the wall, each saying in one of the many languages of the world, "Be reconciled to God." The building preaches other symbolic sermons as worshipers are led finally to the altar behind which is a banner with an abstract representation of Christ on the cross with the hands of people of all colors reaching out to him and the words that say, in German, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all people to myself" (John 12:32). The chapel itself is a ...

72. Irrevocable Gifts

Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... , has God rejected his people?" And Paul's answer is, in the original Greek, much more emphatic than the way it gets translated in most Bibles, including in our lesson. "By no means!" Or, "Certainly not!" Or, "Of course not!" All these are rather pale representations of the words in the original Greek. In a printed document, Paul's answer should at the least be in bold type and entirely in capitals. When the lesson is read, the answer should be spoken loudly, perhaps even shouted, "No! No! No!" Because the ...

73. All Your Facilities Intact

Acts 17:16-34, Colossians 1:15-20

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... him all things were created...and in him all things hold together." You are talking about God when you talk about Jesus. We are forbidden to make images of God in stone or silver or gold, so we make exalted images in words. Words are simply representations, crafted images, to hold and to communicate what we see and what we believe. Words are carefully shaped, especially words that you will find in a creed. So why would we take this carpenter from Nazareth, remembered for his humility, who would not let the ...

74. How Can Religion Go Bad Doing Good?

Matthew 7:21-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... memorial is intentionally abstract in the extreme. Architect Eisenman admitted in 1998 that "The enormity and scale of the horror of the Holocaust is such that any attempt to represent it by traditional means is inevitably inadequate." But the non-representational memorial met with so much public flak that eventually a visitor center was constructed underneath it, offering a more traditional and historically-based memorial, one that gives names and tells stories of some of the individuals caught up in the ...

75. Hands On

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... on his head?" Her stubby purple-painted fingernail was pointing at the perfectly round golden halo that surrounded Jesus' head in all the paintings. Before I could attempt an explanation of the difference between a piece of china and an artistic representation of divinity, Soren's attention was suddenly snagged by one different picture. "Oh cool," she exclaimed gleefully, "Look Daddy, Jesus is throwing a Frisbee in this one!" Soren had spied a Rembrandt etching (now in New York's Metropolitan Museum of ...

Showing results