Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 751 to 775 of 4934 results

751. Dry Bones And Live Hope

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Charles Curley

Jesus had a friend. The name of his friend was Lazarus. When you have a friend, and your friend needs help, you do what you can. So when Lazarus was ill, naturally they sent to Jesus for help. "You have healed others, why not your friend?" But Jesus did not do what they thought he would do. "This illness is not unto death; it is for the glory of God," and he went about his business. Yet Lazarus’ illness was to the death. Jesus was late and when he finally arrived, Lazarus was dead, and Jesus wept. There ...

752. Our Magnificent, Mysterious, Mischievous God

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

David E. Leininger

This is a fun story, one of many in scripture that are good for giggles if we allow ourselves that reverent freedom when we encounter them. Engaging characters, international intrigue, and finally a denouement that is just pure fun. It is one more affirmation that our God is not only magnificent and mysterious but occasionally mischievous as well. The cast. Naaman. His name means charm or pleasantness. Apparently a relatively nice fellow as standards of his day would define nice. A powerful personage too ...

753. Needed: A Radiator Cap Solution

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Passion/Palm Sunday Everybody loves a parade or a celebration. Everyone loves to be part of something big and exciting. Early in Frank Sinatra's career, George Evans, his publicist, used some slick tricks to get Sinatra extra publicity. Evans hired teenage girls to hang around outside the club where Sinatra was singing. They were paid to scream out his name and "swoon." He even arranged for an ambulance to park outside the club. The faked hysterics worked; crowds packed the club to hear this fabulous new ...

754. It Costs to Belong

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

William Barclay says that “James, the brother of John and the Son of Zebedee, is the most tantalizingly vague figure among the twelve.” (THE MASTER’S MEN, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1959, p.100) We know that he occupied a leading place among the twelve apostles. In every list of the Twelve, his name appears in the first three—even ahead of Andrew, Peter’s brother. And yet we know very little about him. (His name is not even mentioned in the Fourth Gospel.) We know little about him, but what we do know is ...

755. The Rest Of The Story

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

As Adam and his sons, Cain and Abel, were walking one day, they passed the beautiful Garden of Eden. Just to pass by was an experience. Adam knew what was inside those beautiful gates -- the lush fruit, the gorgeous flowers -- it was a place of endless delight. An angel with a flaming sword was guarding the gate. Adam said, "Boys, take a good look. That's where we lived before your mother ate us out of house and home." In the words of Paul Harvey, "that's the rest of the story." The first chapter of ...

756. Exodus and Easter

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is an old story that has made the rounds in the church many, many times, but it’s worth telling again. An eight year old boy was reporting to his folks at Sunday dinner what he had learned at church school that morning. “Boy, was it exciting!” he exclaimed to his parents. “Moses organized all the Hebrews into a resistance group and through careful planning they broke out of Egyptian slavery. They moved as quickly as possible toward Canaan, driving every kind of vehicle available: jeeps, tanks, half- ...

757. The Road of Joy

Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Browse through any local book store and you will be bombarded with books on joy. Joy of Cooking, Joy of Sex, Joy of Not Working, The Complete Joy of Home Brewing –just to name a few. Our Advent word for consideration today is JOY. The Bible is full of joyful sayings: “The joy of the Lord is our strength" (Nehemiah 8:10) “Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy" (Luke 2:10) “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4) A nervous pastor conducting his first Christmas Eve Candle ...

758. Hoping For a Hug

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Jerusalem was not far now. It had been a long journey through Galilee, Samaria, and Judea — a long journey of teaching, healing, controversy, and, yes, opposition. But now Jesus nears his goal. Jerusalem, the holy city, the destination for faithful Jews throughout history. Suddenly, an interruption — some Pharisees with a warning: "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you" (Luke 13:31). But Jesus will not be dissuaded. He has work to do ... even though he is not received well nor ...

759. The Vision of Obadiah

Obadiah 1:1-21

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

Pride Brought Low (1:1-4): Edom enjoyed natural fortifications. Its highlands rose southeast of the Dead Sea in three great steps of sandstone cliffs to a height of more than 5,000 feet. A maze of mountains, cliffs, chasms, rocky defiles, and stony plateaus, with arable land mostly on the east and in its wider defiles, Edom was easily defended. In Obadiah’s time, it was densely populated, with abundant water in its gorges and ample food for all. It thought itself secure and independent, superior to its ...

760. Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

Nicodemus is introduced as a particular example of the “believers” mentioned in 2:23–25. As a “member of the Jewish ruling council” and “Israel’s teacher” (vv. 1, 10), he is perhaps not wholly typical of the group, though later indications are that leaders of the people were indeed conspicuous among these so-called believers (12:42). It is probably out of fear that Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night. Speaking perhaps for the larger group, he makes a confession that puts the narrator’s summary (2:23) into ...

761. Jesus Predicts His Death

John 12:20-36

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The principle that the “whole world has gone after” Jesus (v. 19) finds immediate illustration in some Greeks who were among the worshipers at the festival (v. 20). Their request to see Jesus was directed at Philip (cf. 1:43–44), ceremoniously passed along by him to Andrew, and by the two of them to Jesus (vv. 21–22). These two disciples have been seen together twice before: first as Jesus’ agents in initially gathering a group of followers (1:35–45), and later as the two whose faith Jesus tested before ...

762. “You Laugh at Them, Lord; You Scoff at All Those Nations”

Psalm 59:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Although the enemies of our personal world—sickness, slander, uncertainty, and so on—may roam as scavengers of the night, in faithful trust we will sing God’s morning song of love. Understanding the Text In terms of traditional categories, this psalm is an individual lament, for the suppliant’s character has been maligned by his enemies, to which he attests his innocence and confesses his faith in the loving God. Judging from the titles of Psalms 56–60, we see literary threads that connect these ...

763. When Table Talk Won a Super Bowl

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome to the Lord’s Table on this Maundy Thursday evening. This is a special place and a special time. It is, hopefully, a time when we as the family of Christ draw closer to one another and closer to God. Recently, in an unexpected place, I ran across an example of the closeness that can develop around a table. Football fans will remember that in the 2018 Super Bowl the Philadelphia Eagles pulled off a stunning win over the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII. According to writer and ...

764. God Soaked

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

I have here a ruler. It’s the way we measure nearly everything in life. If you are old enough, you remember having one of these in your desk at school, so that you could use it during math class. These wooden rulers now are nearly obsolete. At least in the form we see here. But they haven’t been vanquished from our minds and the way we think about measurement, behavior, and life. Our word ruler comes from the Latin word "regula,” derived from the verb "rego," meaning "to keep straight, direct, govern, or ...

765. Christ The King

Ephesians 1:15-23, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34, Ezekiel 34:1-31, Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Christ our king. In the Ezekiel lesson, God is the loving Shepherd-King of Israel, gathering the lost, comforting the injured. In the 1 Corinthians text, Christ triumphs over his enemies, especially the power of death. In the Gospel, Christ judges and separates those who are his sheep from those who are not. The key determinant consists of attitudes and actions toward the weak and needy ones. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 The people of Israel were destroyed. The nation was no ...

766. Preparing The Way

Malachi 2:17--3:5

Sermon

Ron Lavin

Frank kept the strangest of Christmas lists. He called it "My Refinement List." He first made one out when he was 45 years old. He worked at it faithfully for 29 years. He was 74 and a grandfather. In all that time it had remained a secret, but now his youngest grandchild, with the piece of paper clutched in hand, looked Frank dead in the eye, and said, "What's this?" "A special Christmas list," answered Frank, a bit vaguely. "Is it what you want?" asked the boy. "It's not that kind of a list," answered ...

767. The Beginning of the End

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." ...

768. Easter Day

John 20:1-9, Colossians 3:1-17, Psalm 118:1-29, Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Easter, the theological center of the church year, celebrates the resurrection of the Lord; it is also the main festival of the Christian faith. It pins the Christian faith on a preposterous event, the raising of Christ from the grave after he had been dead almost three days. Easter is the great mystery of the faith, which no one can completely fathom or understand; it must be accepted on faith, faith alone. It is the heart of the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ, because the one who ...

769. Bethlehem: Capitol of the Universe

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

What better way to take a Lenten Pilgrimage than in the footsteps of Jesus? And where better to begin such a pilgrimage than in Bethlehem, the city where our Lord was born. Even people who are not particularly religious cherish the idea of sometime walking the streets of that little city, and of standing at some point where they can look in silence out over the hillsides to a place where shepherds once heard the angelic message. For those of us who love Christ, it is one of the most cherished spots on ...

770. The Gospel for Labor Day

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

The parable of the workers in the vineyard is an appropriate text for meditation on Labor Day, not only because it speaks of labor and management but because it places everyday work in the perspective of the gospel of the kingdom of God. It helps us to bridge the gap that too often exists between Sunday and Monday, our worship and our work. The word of God is not limited to our Sunday worship. It is not confined within the four walls of the church and associated only with what we wear and what we eat on ...

771. A Great High Priest

Hebrews 4:12-16

Sermon

King Duncan

It is not unusual for persons visualizing Christ to see him as being like themselves. The extreme of this is probably Van Gogh's painting which he called PIETA. It is a painting of Jesus and his mother. The unique characteristic of the picture is that Jesus has red hair. Obviously it is highly doubtful that Jesus had red hair. Very few people living in that part of the world do, but Van Gogh had red hair and that is how he saw Jesus. There is that natural tendency to paint Christ in our own image. Yet for ...

772. The Conversion Of A Scoundrel

Genesis 28:10-22

Sermon

King Duncan

After important negotiations with business leaders in his high-rise office building, John D. Rockefeller used to say goodbye to his visitors at the elevator. While the visitors filed into the elevator, an innocent looking man would slip in and ride with them to the ground floor. He would follow the group out the door and then cross the street. A few minutes later, the innocent looking man would go back to Rockefeller’s office to deliver a detailed report of what the unsuspecting visitors talked about ...

773. The Chicken or the Egg

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

In his book Dateline America, Charles Kuralt tells of a sign he saw on the door of a cafe in Indiana. It said, Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Closed Thursday. (Dateline America, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979, p. 223) Now, that’s what is known as sending out mixed signals. I. THE CHURCH HAS BEEN KNOWN TO SEND OUT MIXED SIGNALS, TOO. For instance, one minister relates that during one summer vacation he and his family visited a church in Ohio where he was moved by the worship experience: the ...

774. Imagine a World

Matthew 18:10-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I have just returned from my vacation, part of which was spent in Canada fishing for salmon. I notice there always seems to be a curiosity when I come back from a fishing trip to know if I caught anything, and if so, how big was it? I can usually exercise the necessary latitude to describe my catch appropriately, but this time I was with several members of this congregation. They happen to be in this service this morning as well, so I am forced to limit what I say, and this is it. There is more to fishing ...

775. Proper 22

Exodus 20:1-21, Isaiah 5:1-7, Philippians 3:1-11, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 The Ten Commandments. While assembled at Mount Sinai, the Israelites are given the Decalogue by Yahweh through Moses. These ten absolutes are not independent. They are related to the Mosaic covenant. First came grace in terms of God's deliverance from Egypt and by his promise to take them to a Promised Land. The laws are given for the people's part or response to the covenant. Old Testament: Isaiah 5:1-7 God's judgment upon his people for their failure to ...

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