Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 751 to 775 of 4972 results

751. When the Golden Rule Isn't Enough - Mother's Day

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Let me tell you about a dog that made the newspapers a while back. Some of you have dogs and know how special they can be. There was nothing special about this dog. He had no pedigree. He was just a mutt. But for some reason one day this dog stopped eating the food scraps that his master set out for him. Instead, he would take the bones, and anything else he could hold in his mouth, and disappear into the woods. One day, being curious, the dog’s owner decided to follow him to see what he was doing. What ...

752. You Are God's Child

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... child of God. It means, first of all, that God will forever watch over you. There will never come a time when God will ever stop loving you. Even if you are prone to wander far, far away, God’s love for you is secure. Jesus makes that clear in his ... I don’t have a problem with drugs or alcohol.” Or this: “If I weren’t so needy or noisy or nosy, the abuse would stop.” These are lies, says Vicki Flippin, “that we live our lives by. Lies that we die little deaths by.” These are the kinds of ...

753. Hamburgers Don't Grow on Trees

Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... visible cause” or “without human agency.” This is to say that the Kingdom is God’s work. God is responsible for the outcome. Note this: The Kingdom of God is coming. With or without our help it’s coming. Hitler could not stop it. Communism could not stop it. Isis cannot stop it. This is the amazing thing about seed. It will often grow with or without our help. Not only that, it will often grow with great abundance. A certain gardener decided to count the seed pods on a medium-sized mustard plant ...

754. Chickens with Eyeglasses

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... 12:9 came to him: “My grace is sufficient for you.” Spurgeon began to use his imagination. He imagined that he was transported to the bank of a flowing river. He saw a little fish drinking away in the river; then all of a sudden the fish stopped and said, “I mustn’t take too much, or there will be none left.” The river replied, “Drink on, little fish: my waters are sufficient for you.” Then Mr. Spurgeon said that he imagined that he was standing beside one of Joseph’s great granaries in ...

755. Moving On Up

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... for him. When Nigeria and Biafra were at war with each other, Pelé needed to go from Nigeria to Biafra so that he could play soccer. So what did these two countries do? They stopped fighting so that Pelé could travel safely between the two countries, and the war stayed stopped until the two opposing armies could escort Pelé safely out of the war zone. (2) On any sports greatness scale PelJ stands pretty tall. In our own nation, there are those who will contend that Michael Jordan was the greatest athlete ...

756. A Voice Calls in the Wilderness

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... once bowled 300 and he wanted the world to know it. Some of you bowlers can relate to that. A woman was taking her time browsing through a yard sale. She said to the homeowner, “My husband is going to be very angry when he finds out I stopped at your yard sale.” The homeowner sought to reassure her: “I’m sure he’ll understand when you tell him about all the bargains you found,” she replied. “Normally, yes,” the woman said. “But he just broke his leg, and he’s waiting for me to take him ...

757. When the New Comes, the Old Passes

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... not ceased swallowing his children. Consider the pattern of human existence. The days of our lives flit by. Months pass quickly. The years fuse together. We die. Time still swallows us. The comedian, Mel Brooks put it well. "One day when I was about 21 years old," he said, "I stopped for coffee and a bagel on the way to work. I got to talking with friends and when I came out of the bagel shop I was 65 years old. I don't know where my life went." Mr. Brooks was, of course, just being funny. He knows where ...

758. Warning Against False Teachers of the Law

1 Timothy 1:1-11

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... writing (v. 3), plus some reaction to what the erring elders are doing (v. 4), Paul now returns to his command that they stop (v. 3). The goal of this command, he says, is love. This is probably not a general statement about the gospel, in contrast ... v. 6) that are full of deception (4:1–2) and lead to quarrels and suspicions (6:4–5). The purpose of ordering them to stop is to bring the church back to the proper result of “God’s work, based on faith,” namely, their loving one another. (Note how often ...

759. Favoritism Forbidden

James 2:1-13, James 2:14-26

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... Abraham, he who took the wayfarers into his house, gave them food and drink, and went with them to bring them on their way?… for the slaughtering knife is set upon his throat.” [Then God in response acknowledges Abraham’s righteousness by ordering him to stop.] Second is the “now I know” statement of Genesis 22:12; Abraham had a lived-out faith that had resulted in righteous actions that in turn were declared right by God. 2:22 James continues: You see. Surely the point of the passages cited was ...

760. Bricks Without Straw

Exodus 5:1-21

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... they constituted a significant percentage of his workforce. Egyptian labor logs show that workers were given religious holidays, but the Hebrew workers were too numerous to let go for so long. When the king says, “Get back to your work! . . . you are stopping them from working” he uses the word for “work” that means “burden” (siblah), a reference to “forced labor” (1:11; 2:11; 5:4–5; 6:6–7). As a competent administrator, he did not want this “ruse” to interrupt production. Ironically ...

761. Crossing the Sea

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... they did not drown, but were re-created in the midst of the water (see also Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12). Yahweh did not choose to act alone to fight for Israel. The Lord could have directly sent the wind to blow the water apart, or to stop it, but did not. God instead allowed Moses’ leadership to be maintained and strengthened in the midst of the salvation of the people. Moses was necessary at every stage of their deliverance. The people needed a human leader who was present to lead. Even after Moses’ obvious ...

762. Danites Settle in Laish

Judges 18:1-31

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... , because they deserved each other. The text is ambiguous about whether they met the Levite before they went to Micah’s house or after they were already there. At any rate, when they were near the house, they recognized the voice of the . . . Levite and stopped by. We are not told how they recognized the voice of the Levite; possibly his accent betrayed him as not a native Ephraimite (cf. Judg. 12:5–6; Luke 22:59). The Danites fired off three questions that underscored their surprise that the Levite was ...

763. Opposition to the Rebuilding

Ezra 4:1-5

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... retrieved it, together with a copy of the original letter (v. 11). The king, taking the scary letter at face value, verified Jerusalem’s history of rebellion. He equated this with verification of the present charge and judged it expedient to stop forthwith further rebuilding of the capital. The narrator deduced that, armed with this imperial warrant, the local officials procured military backing and enforced the order authorized by Artaxerxes (v. 23). Nehemiah 1:3 may suggest that work done thus far on ...

764. Restoration of Israel

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... cold and merciless (see Hos. 11:8–9). Then in verse 21 God tells them to plot the route of their return. Virgin Israel (see 31:4 and Additional Notes to 18:13) is told by God to return to their towns. The unfaithful daughter is to stop wandering and return home. The oracle ends with an enigmatic proverb citing a new thing God will bring on earth: a woman will surround a man. While there are a number of possible alternative interpretations, the following understanding seems best. In the first place, a few ...

765. A Widow at the End of Her Rope

1 Kings 17:7-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... told him to go out and push the massive rock in front of his home all day long, day after day, until God told him to stop. The man got up early the next morning and did what he was told. He pushed on the rock as long as he could. After a ... figured out. But he has no idea why this widow’s son is either dead or at least on the verge of death. After all, he has stopped breathing. Then Elijah stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to ...

766. People Who Procrastinate

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

King Duncan

... much money does he have to spend--how many people does he have to hurt--before he says, “Whoa--this is it--I’ve got to get control of my life?” There comes a time when fighting a destructive habit or a debilitating weakness when you must say, “I must stop now or it will be too late.” There is a story of a man who waited until it was too late to make a change in his life. His name was Judas. I wonder if Judas ever intended for Christ to die. I wonder if he ever thought it would ...

767. Joy at Believers’ Walking in the Truth

3 John 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... the congregation the practices (poiei, “he is doing”; emphasizing their continuous nature) of Diotrephes. These practices are the subject of the Elder’s remaining four criticisms: Diotrephes (a) is gossiping maliciously about us; (b) refuses to welcome the brothers; (c) also stops those who want to do so; and (d) puts them out of the church. (See v. 9 for the first two complaints). The NIV’s gossiping maliciously misconstrues the sense of the Greek phlyarōn here. Literally it means to talk nonsense ...

768. Distress and Help

Isaiah 33:1-24

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... , as the whole land was destined to be (1:7; 6:11—both times the related noun). Contrary to their expectations, the scourge has indeed reached them (28:15), so other travellers have stopped moving, like Rahab (30:7). They had bidden their prophets to give up their path and stop talking about the Holy One (see 30:11). Now people have stopped going on the paths. They thought they had a treaty (28:15, 18) but it is broken, like the one they broke themselves (24:5). As people despised Yahweh’s teaching and ...

769. Prophetic Actions—The Temple Condemned and the Fig Tree Cursed

Mark 11:12-19

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... the danger of abandoning the will of God in our religious activity, and the divine judgment that results. Teaching the Text 1. Fruitfulness is a divine mandate. This is the theme in Jesus’s parable in John 15:1–8. If the branches of the vine wither and stop bearing fruit, they will be “picked up, thrown in the fire and burned” by God (15:6). This is intended as a warning for all of us. As Paul says, salvation comes only by “grace through faith,” not works (Eph. 2:8–9). But as James adds, true ...

770. Greeting, Doxology, and Confession

Revelation 1:4-8

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... :35–41). Partway through the journey, with Jesus asleep in the front of the boat, a storm crashes down, threatening to capsize them. After pulling for all they are worth, the disciples finally wake Jesus, perhaps hoping he will help bail water. Jesus stands up and stops the storm with a word, demonstrating his lordship over wind and wave. Our God is with us in the middle of any circumstance. He is the Lord of the sea who is with us in the boat! Tell a modern-day story of someone who powerfully experienced ...

771. Immorality and Apostasy

Numbers 25:1-18

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... 29–35). The story of Phinehas is a replay of the story of the golden calf (Exod. 32). Both involve idolatry. In both God sends a plague to punish Israel (Exod. 32:35; Num. 25:9). In Exodus 32 Levites assist Moses by punishing offenders and stopping idolatry. As a reward, the Levites are awarded the task of divine service (Exod. 32:26–29). In Numbers 25 the priest-Levite Phinehas assists Moses by punishing an offender to suppress idolatry. His lineage is awarded the task of high-priestly service (Num. 25 ...

772. Job Feels Both Confidence and Terror

Job 23:1--24:25

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... and worse things, and their victims are tormented all the more. Because they have no fear of punishment, they live as a law unto themselves. Job speaks of the same pattern in murderers, adulterers, and thieves who get away with their crimes. Because God does not intervene to stop them, they suppose that he does not see them, or that if he does see them, he is powerless to prevent what they are doing. As a result, they act as if God does not exist, and they proceed to do wrong to others. When people live as ...

773. Elihu Makes His Appearance

Job 32:1--37:24

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... Elihu concludes his speeches with a dramatic description of a thunderstorm. With this image he emphasizes God’s wonders in nature. How God rules in nature, however, also has profound implications for humans like Job. Elihu speaks directly to Job as he urges him to stop and consider God’s wonders. It is one thing to observe God’s power in nature, but quite another to live in the light of that observation. All around us God gives tangible evidence of his greatness, and we need to consider how the great ...

774. “In Your Heart You Devise Injustice”

Psalm 58:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... platform by which he “stole the hearts of the people of Israel,” 2 Sam. 15:1–6). This psalm contains seven “curses” (in condensed form) that provide a window into the ancient world. First is the cobra that cannot be charmed because it “has stopped its ears” (58:4). Second, the wicked are compared to the “teeth” of lions (see also 57:4), as the singer prays that God will “break the teeth in their mouths” (58:6). Third, the wicked are “like water that flows away” (58:7a; compare ...

775. Need a Lift?

Acts 9:36-43

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... from our problems. But the text reveals more than a miracle of resuscitation. If we look closer, we can see that we too can be lifted up by following the examples of the characters in this text. I am sure Peter had his own challenges, but they did not stop him from seeking to reach out and help, heal, and bring someone back to life. In fact, when Peter was called to revive Tabitha, he was literally healing a man in another city. He could have claimed his good deed for the day or the week and explained, “I ...

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