Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 751 to 775 of 4884 results

John 1:1-18

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... they come to know women and men, youth and children, who appear in the flesh in the same way that God appears on the page. That doesn't mean we have to be perfect people, but it does call us to take seriously the fact that our bodies are God's temple and God's spirit dwells in our flesh (1 Corinthians 3:16). We can't be perfect people, but we can be so responsive to the spirit of God that "the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh" (2 Corinthians 4:11). It means that we ...

752. Who Is Jesus?

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

John R. Brokhoff

... a matter of Jesus being fully God or fully human, or half and half, but it was a matter of both, both fully human and fully divine. To this day the church holds to this truth stated at Chalcedon: We confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, perfect in manhood, truly God and truly man, or a rational soul and a body, of one substance with the Father with respect to the Godhead, and of one substance with us in respect of the manhood, like us in everything but sin ... This is to say that Jesus is ...

753. It's Your Funeral

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

... pursue some of their dreams because to do so would have meant leaving this loving person behind and they didn't want to hurt her. It's all right to tell the truth at a funeral, as long as we tell it gently. No one is perfect. Indeed, we are all far from being perfect. We all live contradictory lives. Some folks seem cold and selfish on the outside, and hide their great passion and love in such a way that it only emerges in secrecy or in their dreams. Others of us make public professions of faith and try to ...

754. The Nativity Of Our Lord

Luke 2:1-20 · Titus 2:11-14 · Isaiah 9:2-7 · Ps 96

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... again become flesh in fulfillment of the scripture lesson read earlier in the service from 1 John 4: "See what love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God .... If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." (Based on an article by the Rev. Michael Lindvail in Good Housekeeping, December, 1990.) Illustration: This account is based on a story in Parade Magazine, titled "The Gift Of The Toy Man." The Toy Man is Eric Hultgren, who was a tool and dye maker ...

755. Proper 11

Romans 8:18-27, Isaiah 44:6-23, Genesis 28:10-22, Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... will be no room for the weeds. Is the world like your lawn? It all depends. If you have the kind of lawn which I have, the answer is yes. My lawn is not like those from which all weeds and watergrass have been banished. You've seen the perfectly manicured outdoor carpets that you're afraid to even walk on. Over all, my lawn looks presentable. There is a fairly luxuriant strand of grass and, when it is cut, it looks quite nice. However, when it gets long, you can see the panoply of dandelion and a variety ...

756. Proper 12

Mt 13:31-33, 44-52 · Rom 8:26-39 · 1 Ki 3:5-12 · Ps 105

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... of doing something else. For many, the kingdom is not a treasure we have sought and found but that which has fallen in our laps by virtue of birth and baptism and God's grace. The next parable (vv. 45-46) features a merchant in search of the perfect pearl, the pearl of great price. When he finds it, he too sells all that he has in order to purchase that one pearl. For this man, the treasure was the result of diligent searching. Jesus taught: "Seek and you shall find ..." Contrary to the first parable, where ...

757. The Pure In Heart

Sermon

John A. Terry

... synonym for a spotless life or sterilized emotions. To be pure in heart is not the same as being morally perfect. None of us would qualify for that. I recently heard someone relate a comment from a pastor to an individual who was out searching for a church to join. The ... pastor said, "If you find a perfect church, don't join it. If you do, you'll ruin it." Or it is like the time Saint Peter halted a man at the ...

758. Water Won't Quench The Fire

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

William G. Carter

... bliss? If so, Mr. Church, then you and the whole Church family can try a new audiocassette program titled The Higher Being. It is yours to audition free for the next thirty days. If these tapes convince you that you can find perfect fulfillment, you can keep them for only $39.95, $20.00 off the regular price. If you don't find Infinite Peace through these tapes, return them and owe nothing. VISA and MasterCard accepted." Every church office receives more than its share of spiritual junk mail. Somebody ...

759. Hate Evil

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... willing to sweep all that aside. "Indeed," says the evangelist, "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." God's love for the world is so great that he is perfectly willing to cover the situation for us. God provides the way out of our perishable, darkened and futile life by giving us the opportunity to trust him again. It is as plain and simple as that. "Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe ...

760. Emulating God's Love

Matthew 5:38-42, Matthew 5:43-48

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... it said ..., but I say ...") continue Jesus' radicalization of the righteousness of (in the first instance) the Old Testament statutes and (in the second) conventional wisdom. The closing demand for perfection (v. 48) should not be taken literally or out of context, but in light of vv. 43ff., as an exhortation to emulate God's perfect love, which like the sunshine and the rain, benefits even the evil and the unjust. Liturgical Color Green Suggested Hymns O God Of Mercy, God Of Light In Thee Is Gladness ...

761. Anger

John 2:12-25

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... outside the Temple. Inside, a pair of doves might cost as much as twenty times what they would cost outside. The problem was that if a person purchased a sacrificial animal outside the Temple, the persons who inspected the animals to be sure they were perfect would almost always find something wrong. Then the person who had bought animals outside would have no choice but to buy more animals inside the Temple -- at a much higher price." "But that wasn't FAIR!" another boy exclaims. "No, it wasn't fair. And ...

762. The Pure In Heart

Psalm 42:1-11

Sermon

John A. Terry

763. Jesus: The Ultimate Ordinary

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

... for us. 3. “Tried in use.” In the ordinary the glitches have been ironed out by daily use. By keeping faithfully to what is customary, in good times and bad, foundational life skills become refined, burnished, perfected so that we become master of them. As a carpenter Jesus went about ordinarily perfecting the basic work skills of the trade. Good parents do likewise. Ordinary performance of good character leads to a confidence in one’s abilities and an assurance in performance. We are tried in use and ...

764. God’s Flowing and Our Ebbing

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... of God, painfully aware of his finitude and transitoriness in the presence of the Eternal, forgiven and now commissioned invited to flow. God, Isaiah’s commissioning reminds us, is not looking for superstars and flawless people (even if they were available!). God is perfectly able to take our brokenness, our faith and lack of faith, our energy and lack of energy, and use us for kingdom purposes. Nothing new, this. It is nothing short of the bedrock rhythm of the Christian faith. We celebrate it every time ...

765. In Search of a Leader

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... or briers rather than even face a remote occasion of sin. His intentions are always the noblest. His words are always the most edifying cliches, fitting the situation with a devastating obviousness that silences even the thought of dialogue. Indeed, the “perfect” in this fearsome sense are elevated above the necessity or even the capacity for a fully human dialogue with their fellow men. They are without humor as they are without wonder, without feeling and without interest in the common affairs of ...

766. Read the Directions

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... , he refused to resign, claiming that this would not impair his ability to be a judge in city court. Christ’s justice does not come from a source like that. He was never fairly convicted of any wrong. In generosity and concern for others, Christ is also the perfect example. He only lived for the good of others. What the prodigal son’s father said to the disgruntled elder brother at the end of Jesus’ parable is what the Lord says to us, “All that is mine is yours.” No one can be more generous than ...

767. We All Sin So What?

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... clothes his own with a robe of righteousness. It was his Son Jesus who had the seamless robe of righteousness. The Bible tells us that by faith we can have the robe of righteousness made by Jesus’ perfect righteousness. When we appear before God, he will see us in Jesus’ robe of perfect righteousness which will hide our dirty rags of sin. For Jesus’ sake God forgives and accepts us in his presence. For our living Paul urges us to put on the clothes of love, goodness and faithfulness. For fighting ...

768. The Healing Of Simon Peter's Mother-In-Law

Mark 1:29-34

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... Andrew is probably the most supportive, health-restoring home around. Asker: Goals and ideals aside, Jesus, when it comes to the whole health of a person, perhaps we should temper your words, "Be perfect" (Matthew 5:48), with these words: Given reality, be in your best possible state of health. Jesus: Perhaps we should. To be perfect is a goal for our relationships. It is not a command for the condition of the body, over which we have incomplete control. Asker: Jesus, what do you mean for this miracle to ...

769. Proper 17

James 1:19-27, Song of Songs 2:1-17, Mark 7:1-23

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... of his presence. Epistle: James 1:17-27 1. Sermon Title: God Beams His Blessings. Sermon Angle: James does not accept the concept prevalent in the Old Testament that Yahweh is the Lord of weal and woe, good and evil. James states that God is the source of good and perfect gifts (v. 17). He is not the source of evil or of temptation (vv. 13-15). The God of light beams his blessings to all and especially to those who follow the Light of the World. Outline: 1. God is not the source of evil but of blessing. 2 ...

770. Proper 19

James 3:1-12, Proverbs 1:20-33, Mark 8:31--9:1, Mark 8:27-30

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... mistakes and I've made plenty of them but I'm going to learn from them and grow." The child of God confesses his sins and his mistakes to the Lord, asking the Lord to perfect him. Outline: 1. Yes, we all make mistakes. 2. Is this confession an excuse or a challenge? 3. God not only forgives our mistakes, he wants to perfect us. Sermon Title: The Danger Of Speaking Out Of Both Sides Of The Mouth. Sermon Angle: One of the problems that has plagued Bill Clinton's presidency is that he says one thing and then ...

771. Proper 20

Proverbs 31:10-31, Mark 9:30-37, James 3:13-18; 4:1-12

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... Kennedy, and so forth). 2. Talk about the characteristics of the model wife in our text. 3. Pull out of the model some timeless traits that will serve well the modern wife. 4. Point out that God loves us even when we aren't models of perfection. Sermon Title: A Working Model. Sermon Angle: The model of womanhood presented in this text is literally a working model. This woman generates more power than Wonder Woman and Niagara Falls put together. But why does she work so hard? Is she trying to prove something ...

772. Proper 9

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10, Mark 6:1-13, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... to understand, thorns embed their torturous barbs into bad people and good people alike. 2. Sermon Title: Strength Through Weakness. Sermon Angle: When Paul begged God to remove his thorn, the Lord replied: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect through weakness" (v. 9). Those weaknesses we cannot remove, let us offer up to God. Outline: 1. Paul had many strengths which he offered up to God's service teacher, writer, missionary, to name a few. 2. Paul also had weaknesses, such as the ...

773. Prayer Clothes

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

... his knees. He wore prayer like a comfortable flannel shirt. Jesus understood how important it was to be in conversation with his Heavenly Father, if he were to take any steps forward into his future. Three times he prayed in the garden, searching for that perfect union of wills. The number three is often used in the Bible to express completeness. Jesus was given three precious gifts by the Magi who had come to worship him. Jesus was tempted three times in the wilderness and three times he defeated the Devil ...

774. Second Sunday In Advent

Sermon

David M. Oliver

... good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (emphasis added) If we think about it, most of us can identify a person or persons who have served as reflections of the light of God in our lives. These individuals, although making no claim to being perfect, have represented to us that which is good, noble, righteous, caring, and godly. On your bulletin write the names of these persons. I encourage you to give thanks to God for those who have been Christ's light for you. If they are alive, I hope you ...

775. Let The Children Come To Me

Psalm 42:1-11

Eulogy

Mary Venema Swierenga

... does not have the last word. God has the last word, and that word is life. God loves us and gives us life. "I am the resurrection and the life," Jesus says. Life is found in God's Son Jesus, and it begins in this life and is perfected in the next. ____________ has perfect life now. And because we can believe that by faith, we can go back and forth between lament and faith as we mourn and miss this precious child, knowing all the while that our hope is in God, our God and our Savior, who loves us always ...

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