Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 726 to 750 of 2561 results

726. The Church on Main Street

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James McCormick

During my years of ministry, church buildings have been located in a variety of places. There was Monterey Road, Clinton Boulevard, Culver Avenue, Gibbs Street, Duarte Road, Hardy Street. And in 1982, for the first time I became pastor of a church on Main Street. I’ve always thought that is where the church should be – not off on some side street somewhere - but on Main Street. Of course, you know, when I talk about Main Street, I am not talking primarily about geography. I am talking about ideas and ...

727. The Bridge over Troubled Water

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

James W. Moore

On Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed with devastating and amazing force into the Gulf Coast just east of New Orleans, Louisiana. With screaming, shrieking 175 MPH winds, Katrina smashed ashore and… - destroyed houses and buildings, - turned over cars, trucks and boats, - swamped Mississippi’s beachfront, - blew out windows in hospitals, hotels and high-rises in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, - submerged entire neighborhoods up to their roof-tops in flood water, - separated families ...

728. His Way is the Right Way

Psalm 23:3

Sermon

James Merritt

They can make you, they can break you. They can put scars on your soul, or stars in your heart. A bad one can ruin a life forever, a good one can redeem a life forever. You will frequently rejoice over the good ones, and you will forever regret all the bad ones. What am I talking about? Decisions, decisions, decisions. They can make you bad, glad, or sad. I read about a man who had placed some flowers on the grave of his dearly departed mother. He started back toward his car when he saw another man ...

729. Stop Fuming, Start Forgiving!

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The late Bishop Lance Webb used to tell a story about a little five-year-old boy who misbehaved. His mother decided to give him some quiet time. She had a large closet. So, she pushed back the hangers in the closet so there would be room for his chair. She turned on the light and told him he would have to stay in the closet for 30 minutes. She heard strange sounds inside the closet and then everything got quiet. The mother was curious, so she opened the door. “Jimmy, “she asked, “what on earth are you ...

730. A Concert of Prayer

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Drama

Leonard Sweet

Christ is not and cannot be divided if the church is to stand. Yet upon that single foundation of Christ, a multitude of diverse structures may be constructed. Paul preferred the beauty and complexity of a choir to the elegance of a solo. He celebrated the diversity he saw in the churches he founded and attended, seeing their differences as potential for greater strength - not weakness. Our own preference today, however, seems to be for creating a cream-of-wheat church. Smooth, bland, tasteless and benign ...

731. Don’t Be a Hypocrite

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

There are very few people who never, ever get angry about anything. Even if you are the most mild mannered of mild mannered people, you have a hot-button that if someone just knows where it is and knows how to push it, they can really make your blood boil. What one thing makes you the angriest? Maybe, it is when somebody cuts you off on the freeway. Maybe, it is when your brother or sister borrows some of your clothes and doesn't tell you about it. Maybe, it is when your favorite college football team ...

732. As Seen from the Solitary Broom Tree

1 Kings 19:1-18

Sermon

Stan Purdum

I'm not sure when the term "burn out" ceased being only a description of what happened to a campfire when you ran out of firewood to a term describing the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest, usually coming immediately after an extended period of overwork, but the expression seems to fit that later situation, doesn't it? Exhaustion, deep weariness, all used up, nothing more to give, wiped out, burned out — call it what we will, its symptoms are all too familiar to many of us. A study ...

733. If We Do It, It Will Work

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters God (offstage voice) Gabriel Michael Mary Messenger Joseph Innkeeper Innkeeper’s Wife Lead Shepherd Gabriel Shepherd 1 Shepherd 2 Shepherd 3 Shepherd 4 Angel 1 Angel 2 Angel 3 Angel 4 Angel 5 Props Paper (decree) Arrow sign saying “To Bethlehem” Notes No one really knows much about the personality of the angels Gabriel and Michael. “If We Do It, It Will Work” takes some dramatic license in assigning personalities for these characters, portraying them as something of an “odd couple.” It views ...

734. The Darkness Where God Was

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

How often do we talk about the glory of the Lord? We quote with joy – Psalms 19. We even sing it as an anthem in our choir. “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” We see the glory of God in sunsets and starry skies in majestic mountains piercing the skies, and rain-forests with rich, greens the like of which artists have never been able to capture on canvas. But, let’s not forget that the glory of God may not just be in sunsets and starry skies. I sensed that ...

735. He Leadeth Me

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There was a story being circulated back in the days when President Carter was in the White House. He was meeting with the Prime Minister of Israel about the negotiation of a peace in the Middle East. Since both were religious men and worshiped the same God they thought it would be a good idea to consult God on the matters that were before them. Carter offered to use his private phone to do it, pay the charges. So they placed the call, talked to God for five minutes. When the call was completed Carter asked ...

736. In Spite of Evidence to the Contrary

Romans 4:13-25

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

The scriptures talk about "faith" in many different ways. One of my favorites is the letter to the Hebrews (11:1) where "faith" is described as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." A similar notion of "faith" is utilized by Saint Paul in today's second reading from Romans (4:18). Paul calls it "hoping against hope." Or as I would like to paraphrase it, "in spite of evidence to the contrary." Paul draws on the ancient story of Abraham and Sarah to illustrate what this kind ...

737. Better Angels of Our Nature

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It is one of those mixed blessings of parenthood. You wake up on a weekend morning and detect the unmistakable singe of burnt toast in the air. There are clanging and banging sounds from the kitchen. Checking out the noise you discover your child busily preparing a “special breakfast” as a surprise for you. Such a simple, sweet gesture touches your heart. But all too soon the fruits of your young one’s labors will touch your stomach as well. Eggshell-crunchy eggs. Pancakes charred on the outside yet ...

738. This Fellow Welcomes Sinners

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

In the old Soviet Union it was common for people who had fallen out of favor with the communist regime to also fall out of photographs. Long before digital photography made it easy to change our memories, a little air brushing could remove an inconvenient commissar who had been purged since the last worker's holiday. Indeed, Soviet watchers would study every photograph published in newspapers and journals to determine the rise and fall of cold warriors. The Soviet Union didn't have the corner on the ...

739. A New Point of View

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

In 2000, Mel Gibson appeared in the comedy, What Women Want. The film was fairly successful at the box office because it built on a fantasy that I think all of us have indulged in at one time or another. He plays an executive who works at an advertising agency in Chicago. His life dramatically changes when he is jolted by electricity and develops the ability to read women's minds. It leads to some absolutely hilarious and humorous situations. Sure enough, it transforms him into a great lover who knows ...

740. Endurance

2 Corinthians 11:24-27, 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

When my daughter, Hannah, was five years old we lived in Minnesota. Before she entered kindergarten, she had to take an entrance exam. Being the non-competitive but responsible parent that I am, I decided to help Hannah prepare for this test. I taught her how to count to ten — in four languages. I taught her the colors by buying a box of crayons — 64 count, including turquoise, magenta, and chartreuse. We worked on a puzzle of the United States with each individual state cut out so we could learn the names ...

741. Start at the Epicenter

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

James Merritt

Friday night, February 14th, 2014, something happened at our house that I never thought would ever happen and I hope never happens again. Many of you experienced the same thing. It was as if someone with giant hands took our house and began to shake it. I was asleep and Teresa woke me and said, “Did you feel that?” I said, “What?” She said, “I believe we just experienced an earthquake.” I said, “Seriously?” What really got my attention was when she said, “I hope it did not damage the foundation of our ...

742. The Golden Calf

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

32:1–34:35 · Crisis at Sinai: The Golden Calf - Exodus 32–34 forms an important watershed for understanding God’s relationship to the world. The Creator had sought to redeem, form, and live among the people. To this end God delivered them out of Egypt, brought them to Mt. Sinai by going with them in the fiery cloud, and provided for them in the wilderness. At Sinai God set about forming them into the sort of community originally intended: in trust and fidelity with the Lord, with each other, and with the ...

743. Holiness of Priests

Lev 21:1–23:2

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: Those who lead God’s people in worship must show a special degree of separation to God. Understanding the Text Leviticus 21 is the first of two chapters on the holiness of priests, teaching how, as servants of Yahweh’s holy things, they must maintain a special degree of holiness or else be disqualified from serving the sanctuary. This is thus a continuation of the theme of holiness found in what is commonly referred to as the holiness code (Lev. 17–27). Leviticus 21:1–22:31 is arranged in a ...

744. “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 ...

745. 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” ...

746. Good to Great

Ezekiel 45:3-5

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Many of you have heard me mention Bill Self several times. He preached here at Pasadena a few years go. He was one of my heroes in ministry – an incredible man and preacher. He died last year and I had the honor of speaking at his funeral. I remember a story Bill would often tell about going fishing in Florida. Bill really was not much of a fisherman, but a member of his church invited him to go tarpon fishing. His friend said they would take his private jet. Bill had never been in a private jet before so ...

747. Get the Garbage Out!

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

For those of you who are parents or grandparents, I bet you remember your baby’s first words. Were you surprised by what those first words were? You spend the first six to nine months of your baby’s life just babbling at him and making all kinds of words and sounds. And one day, he or she suddenly responds! It’s a great feeling. Unless your baby’s first words are something unexpected. A parenting website asked parents to submit stories of the strangest first words their babies ever said. Laura Conaway from ...

748. Vetted

Luke 3:21-38, Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” (Deuteronomy 8:2) Back in 1984, when Sting was with the Police, he had a stalker. So Sting wrote an ode to his stalker called “Every Breath You Take.” For those of you who never heard of Sting, or the Police, or the year 1984, it went like this: [either play a stanza of the song or read out these lyrics] Every ...

749. Proper 12

Psalm 85:1-13, Colossians 2:6-23, Hosea 1:1-2:1, Luke 11:1-13

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

PERSISTENT PRAYING A special interest of Luke in both the Gospel and the Book of Acts is prayer. He frequently notes the prayer life of Jesus. Before every major crisis in his ministry Jesus spent time in prayer. The parables for today with their surrounding materials give an occasion for the preacher to deal with the whole subject of proper praying. It is an opportunity to deal with common misconceptions of prayer. It is also an opportunity to consider the whole discipline involved in praying. While Jesus ...

750. Weather Signs

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

The government spends millions of dollars to launch weather satellites. They observe the patterns of weather systems around the world. Meteorologists use the data to try to predict what the weather will be so as to plan for what may be coming. The predictions are fairly reliable in the short term. They prove to be less reliable for the long term. Even in the short term the weather produces surprises. Tornadoes show up unexpectedly. A few years ago flash floods killed people and destroyed property with ...

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