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Showing 51 to 75 of 4938 results

51. No Turning Back

John 6:56-69

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

At the dawn of the Space Age it looked like the United States was losing the Space Race — and soundly. The Soviet Union had launched the first artificial satellite in 1957. In response the Vanguard rocket blew up on the pad. Both nations then began to work on putting a human into space. The American Project Mercury was projected to put a man in orbit by late 1960, but delay after delay — sometimes out of caution and sometimes out of concerns for safety because the rockets continued to blow up, allowed the ...

52. Turn On The Lights!

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Wauconda is a small village in the state of Illinois. For over 40 years the town had placed two large illuminated crosses on the city water towers during the Christmas season. Until one year when the town council received a threat of legal suit if the crosses were continued, based on the separation of church and state. The town council grudgingly took them down. But that's when the citizens of Wauconda took matters into their own hands. They decided to place lighted reminders of Christ on their own ...

53. Turn On the Light

John 8:12-30

Sermon

James Merritt

It was my first and only time ever to be in a cave. Teresa and I were on our way back to Kentucky where I was going to seminary and we decided to stop off and tour Mammoth Cave. They tried to prepare us for what was going to happen, but in this case the picture was worth far more than 1000 words. We descended deep down into this cave and then with a quick warning the guide turned off the flashlight. Have you ever heard the term “achluophobia-”? That is fear of the darkness. If I didn’t have it before I ...

54. God Can Turn Your Trash Cans into Treasure Chests

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Southeast Asia is hot. The economies of its countries are sizzling, especially Viet Nam and Indonesia, with the highest growth rates of almost anywhere on the planet. Investors and tourists from all over the world are flooding both countries. Of course, Bali, Indonesia, is where everyone wants to go. But if I could go anywhere in Southeast Asia, it would be the island of Sumatra. Why Sumatra? Because this island is the archipelago of 17,000 islands known as “Indonesia” is where the “manna” of that country ...

55. Are You Turned On to Christ?

1 Peter 1:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Last Sunday, Easter Sunday, was crowded. Crowded with friends. Crowded with newcomers. Crowded with guests and families of members. Crowded with those who come to church twice-a-year. Crowded with those who never-miss-a-Sunday. This week . . . the Sunday after Easter...maybe not so crowded? No wonder it's dubbed "Low Sunday." There is time and elbow room enough to look up and down the pews and see old friends and maybe even ask, "Did you have a nice Easter?" But that question is wrong. Easter isn't over. ...

56. Turning Doubt Inside Out

Luke 23:39-43

Sermon

James Merritt

His name is Ben Davis: 18 years old, 6 ft. 3 in. tall, 195 lbs. Davis is a very special young man. He was named the USA Today Baseball Player of the Year. By all accounts, he has a tremendous future ahead of him. This 18 year old phenom signed with the San Diego Padres right out of high school for a $1.3 million bonus. He has been called the best high school catcher in twenty years; the best since long time Atlanta Brave, Dale Murphy, in 1974. He has been labeled a "Can't Miss Prospect." He is absolutely ...

57. No Turning Back

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

Former heavyweight boxer James (Quick) Tillis is a cowboy from Oklahoma. Tillis fought out of Chicago in the early 1980s. A deeply religious man, Tillis is remembered as the first boxer ever to make Mike Tyson go the distance in the heavyweight division. Tillis had his disappointments as a boxer, but evidently they didn’t rob him of his sense of humor. He still remembers his first day in the Windy City after his arrival from Tulsa. “I got off the bus,” he says, “with two cardboard suitcases under my arms ...

58. Joshua People: Turning Worlds Upside Down

Joshua 10:12-15, Acts 17:1-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I want to start with two passages of Scripture. The first from the book of Joshua since we are still in our Joshua Principles Series. And the second from the book of Acts because it describes the early ministry of the Church and what our ministry should be like. Joshua 10:12-15 (NRSV) [12] On the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord; and he said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon." [13] And the sun stood ...

59. Turning A Minus Into A Plus

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Harold Warlick

One of the finest minds in our country belongs to a man named Charles Merrill. Charles' father founded a company called Merrill, Lynch, Pierce, a rather successful stock brokerage firm. With part of that vast wealth, Charles Merrill founded the Commonwealth School in Boston. The Commonwealth School has enjoyed a tremendous academic reputation. It has excelled in educating students from diverse backgrounds. On a cold, windy day Charles Merrill and a minister friend were walking to lunch, and he told the ...

60. Behold The Man Who Turned Toward Jerusalem

Mark 10:32-34

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

Some time ago I was reading Harold Kushner's book, Who Needs God. I was struck by a story he told in that book. He said he was talking with a nurse once who related a conversation she had with a young lady. This young lady's boyfriend was dying of cancer. The nurse asked her if she could do anything for her. The young lady answered, "Yeah, remind me never to love anybody this much again."1 Now we come to that part of Christ's story where Jesus begins to look toward the cross. There is a difference now in ...

61. How Does One Prepare For The Unknown?

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

George Johnson

What is one of the most foolish things you have ever done? Pay good money for a suit or dress that you never wore? Buy a car that turned out to be a lemon? Invest your savings based on good advice, but end up losing it all? Have an affair that you thought would be brief and secret, but turned out to bring havoc on everything? But who likes to be reminded of one's foolishness? What is one of the wisest things you have ever done? Saying "yes" to the one you married, or "no" to the one you almost married? Was ...

62. The Promise Of Life ("U" Turns Permitted)

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction King David had risen to power and put together many good things. But power went to his head and he succumbed to adultery and murder. After Bathsheba had dutifully gone through mourning ceremonies for Uriah, her slain husband, David brought her to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. Business as usual. Would no one dare raise a voice in protest against the king for taking Uriah’s wife and life - would they? Many times kings and national leaders are able to "get away with" their ...

63. Midnight Turned Into High Noon

Isaiah 42:10-17, Isaiah 42:18-25

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

"... I will turn the darkness before them into light ..." David Hume, the philospher, once wrote an essay on the sufficiency of the light of nature for man’s spiritual matters. About the same time, F. W. Robertson, a noted minister, published a sermon upholding the opposite thesis, pointing out that the light of nature needs to be supplemented by the light of a revelation from God. Mutual friends of the philosopher and preacher decided to bring the two together to debate the matter. When the evening ended ...

64. “Your Honor:” Jesus’ Honor Code of Turning the Other Cheek

Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Honor Bound. Those words “honor bound” have deep resonance. *Cub Scouts declare, “On my honor as a Scout...” *Soldiers pledge themselves to “Duty. Honor. Country.” *The fifth commandment (depending on how you count) says “Honor thy father and thy mother.” *Husbands and wives promise to “Love. Honor. Cherish.” A point of honor is a good thing. Honor points us beyond ourselves and our little orbits. Honor connects us to others. A shared sense of honor creates a common culture. But when the wrong things ...

65. Your Honor: Jesus' Honor Code of Turning the Other Cheek

Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

66. Call Home

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Rodney Thomas Smothe

The book of Isaiah is a perfect foundation upon which the themes for Lent can spring forth. Repent, return, renew and rejoice appear to reflect the New Testament themes of the Lenten season, but wait: this is an Old Testament prophet calling the nation of Judah to return to God. As God's special messenger to Judah, Isaiah's words brought both scathing warnings, and comforting assurances. This prophet's message appears to bring judgment and joy, confrontation and comfort. While the first 39 chapters of ...

67. Mourning Turned To Joy

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Ron Lavin

The 14th canticle from the Lutheran Book of Worship poetically summarizes Jeremiah 31:6-14: Listen! you nations of the world:listen to the Word of the Lord.Announce it from coast to coast;declare it to distant islands. The Lord who scattered Israel willgather his people again;and he will keep watch over them as ashepherd watches his flock. With shouts of joy they will come,their faces radiantly happy,for the Lord is so gen 'rous to them;He showers his people with gifts. Young women will dance for joy,and ...

68. Turn in an Account of Your Stewardship

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I’ve been thinking a lot about heaven lately. When you minister to the dying and the bereaved, you can’t help but think about what heaven is going to be like. In the midst of all my pondering, I was helped by, of all people, Dennis the Menace. Under a tree, obviously just enjoying life and reflecting, a friend says “I wonder what heaven is like?” In successive frames that conveys seriousness, satisfaction and conviction, Dennis responds, “Well...it probably looks like toy shop.”....Sounds like a carousel ...

69. “I Waited Patiently for the Lord; He Turned to Me and Heard My Cry”

Psalm 40:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Waiting on the Lord through trouble and opposition opens our hearts to doing God’s will. Understanding the Text Psalm 40 is an individual psalm of thanksgiving, which is typically composed of the report of a crisis (40:12) and the celebration of deliverance (40:1–3), and these elements do not necessarily occur in that order.1Some commentators insist that this psalm is a combination of two independent psalms, an individual psalm of thanksgiving (40:1–10) and an individual lament (40:11–17). In ...

70. The Road No One Wants to Travel

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

Some time ago, I was riding a train through central England and a man boarded at one of the stops. As he looked for a seat, he saw my face and beamed at me with great joy. "Hi, Will!" he said brightly, in a wonderful British accent. Unfortunately, I'm not Will. When he sat next to me and I opened my mouth to protest his mistaken notion of who I was, my flat American English paved the way for his embarrassment. Obviously, I was not the person he expected. Nevertheless, we got along "brilliantly," as the ...

71. One Giant Leap

John 1:1-18, Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

Do you remember where you were on July 21, 1969? I know that many of you weren't even born! Weren't even a twinkle in your parent's eyes! But for those of you who were around, do you remember where you were in July 21, 1969? Let me give you a hint--maybe the title of the message this morning will trigger a memory. How did the songwriter put it? Young girl in Calcutta Barely 8 years old; The flies that swarm the marketplace Will see she don't grow old. But don't you know she heard it On that July afternoon ...

72. “No One Can Redeem the Life of Another or Give to God a Ransom for Them”

Psalm 49:1-20

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: In the face of death, wealth cannot buy God off, but he can and does redeem (spare) our lives from the power of death at his own will. Understanding the Text Psalm 49 has typically been classified as a wisdom psalm and dated anywhere from the tenth to the second century BC (see the sidebar “Wisdom Psalms” in the unit on Ps. 37). Kraus prefers the category of didactic poem because this psalm, like Psalms 73 and 139, aims to reflect on a problem.1In the same frame of thought, Craigie imagines that ...

73. Love without Limits

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

The eloquent preacher Tom Long tells the story of a small church-related college that held an annual event called Christian Emphasis Week. It was the task of the Christian club on campus to invite a speaker who would come and lead a college revival. This particular year they invited a preacher who had come highly recommended. They were told of his dynamism and his unique way of communicating the gospel. The first night of the revival the chapel was filled with the faithful. There were no “animal house” ...

74. One in Christ

Ephesians 2:11-22

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

Christ and the Unity of Believers The apostle is addressing Jewish and Gentile believers in 2:1–10. He begins by showing that both groups of people were living in disobedience and sin; both stood in need of God’s mercy and love. The Good News in the passage is that a loving and gracious God acted to correct that through his Son. In union with Christ, believers become a new creation and are resurrected and exalted with their Lord. As such, they are lifted out of their former evil condition that they might ...

75. The Set Face And The Turned Head

Luke 9:51-56, Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

Larry Powell

"I know you've been sworn in and I've read your complaint." So begins Judge Wapner as another case unfolds on the popular television series, "People's Court." Repeating the phrase before each case, the implication is that the litigants have already placed their hands on the Bible and sworn to tell nothing "but the truth." However, courtroom cases do not progress far until it becomes apparent that either the plaintiff or the defendent is lying. Immediately, the whole matter of swearing-in comes into ...

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