Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 751 to 775 of 3099 results

751. Dynamic Preaching January 2024 Sermons

Sermon

King Duncan

... with care. We are not advocating replacing medicine with so-called "faith healing." This is a field where so much damage has been done by spiritual quacks that most responsible religious people are even afraid to approach the subject. Even as great a man as Mahatma Gandhi was guilty of a grievous error in this regard. Gandhi's wife was severely ill with pneumonia and was fading. Gandhi refused to let her have penicillin, arguing that alien substances should not be introduced into the body. Accordingly ...

752. Simeon (A Monologue)

Luke 2:22-40

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... most conservative of us. They go so far as to say that nothing matters at all except what is written in the Torah. For them, any further explanation is the work of man, not of God, and as such must be totally ignored when it might deal with a subject that Moses did not discuss. That is why the Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection of the dead...Moses did not talk about it, so therefore, it must not be true. The Sadducees, because the high priest is a Sadducee, are the real power among us. I myself ...

753.

Psalm 80:1-19

Teach the Text

Craig C. Broyles

... impressing upon God the investment he has made in the people. This is noted by the imagery, by references to their past history together, and by the mere fact that in the clear majority of cases Yahweh is the subject of the verbs. Even where he is not the grammatical subject, the action follows as a result of divine initiative. The people’s dependence on God is made prominent by imagery: they are helpless sheep of the shepherd, a defenseless vine, and even their kingship is a vassalage. The psalm remains ...

754. The Seventy “Sevens”

Daniel 9:20-27

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... to announce the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:11–20) and to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus (Luke 1:26–38). Although God mainly speaks to the church through Scripture (see the commentary on 9:2), he occasionally communicates through subjective means such as angels, revelations, visions, dreams, tongues and interpretation, and prophecy (1 Cor. 14:26–31). However, we must be careful always to judge such messages by the Bible and by historical Christian doctrine (1 Cor. 14:29; 1 Thess. 5:21; 1 ...

755. Love Lives

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

... live among us and become one of us. In this time of the creation of Marvel Comics movies with Thor, Odin, and Loki, we can imagine the power of a God ― but can we imagine the humility of God to say: I will wholly become one of you, subject to all the pain and trial you experience? It is beyond my imagining. Is it beyond yours? That is perhaps why there were so many theological debates about the divinity and humanity of Jesus. Perhaps he was wholly human but given divinity as a response to his selflessness ...

756. Allowing God To Do A New Thing

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... church. So, they too are not eager to seek something new. Remembrance of the past helps to generate praise and thanksgiving among God's people. But God never intended for the people to be held captive by the past. Listen to what the scriptures said on this subject: "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old" (Isaiah 43:18). The first step toward something new is to relinquish our grip on the old. Only when we have taken the step of faith to walk away from the things of yesterday can we ...

757. Becoming A Faithful Witness

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... need to sustain us. Consider the parallels in the message of today's scriptures and the events of that first Palm Sunday. Jesus made a triumphant entry into Jerusalem knowing full well what lie ahead. He knew the agony and the shame to which he would be subjected. Why continue? Jesus stayed on the path before him because it was what God wanted. Even in the garden, with the hour close at hand, Jesus sought communion with God. He needed the strength and the comfort of God's spirit and he needed the assurance ...

758. "No Contest"

1 Kings 18:16-46

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... prayed for. All were in the same comparable age group and same comparable condition. They were impartially chosen by a computer.) Dr. Byrd arranged for prayer groups to pray for 192 of the patients, but not for 201 others. The patients who were subjects of prayer suffered fewer complications. Only three required antibiotics, 16 of the "unprayed for" needed the drug. Only six of the prayed for suffered pulmonary edema, while 18 of the non-prayed for did. There was 20 percent faster recovery, for those prayed ...

759. The Beginning And The Ending

Luke 1:1-4; 24:44-53

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... establish Luke as a person with literary skills who knows how to write history. Luke acknowledges that he has used written sources which are based on eyewitness accounts. He has also done scholarly research by investigating "everything carefully from the very beginning." The subject matter of his research is "the events which have been fulfilled among us." Luke writes as a member of a community which was brought into being by the events to which he is about to bear witness. These events are a fulfillment of ...

760. The End

Luke 21:5-38

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: The end times -- will we recognize them? Summary: The King of a Mideastern country hears from his advisors that there is turmoil in his country, that his assets are liquidated and that his subjects are rioting. There is no course of action, so he is advised to pray, which he decides to do. Playing Time: 3 1/2 minutes Setting: A conference room in the palace Props: Weather maps Costumes: Military uniform Business suit Time: The end times Cast: The King -- a ruler of ...

761. The Prophet

Luke 3:1-20

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... JOHN: Moses, we know, spoke face to face with God in the tent of meeting. That hasn't happened since. ZACHARIAS: What happened to me was very nearly that. JOHN: When the angel Gabriel announced my birth. ZACHARIAS: Yes, son, that's right. (BRINGING HIM BACK TO THE SUBJECT) What about Malachi? JOHN: Oh, yes, Malachi. How did he hear the word of the Lord? ZACHARIAS: Malachi had a burden of the Lord. JOHN: I certainly have that. I have a burden. ZACHARIAS: That's right. That's what you said. You said you had a ...

762. Sent Out By The Master

Luke 10:1-24

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... out on a mission. The ending is a direct call to the congregation to do something for Jesus. Playing Time: 3 minutes Setting: Church Props: None Costumes: Costumes of Jesus' time Time: The present Cast: John Matthew Andrew Jesus JOHN: It was wonderful -- the demons were subject to us! MATTHEW: John, I knew you'd like that part. What amazed me was the fact that we were able to heal diseases just like the Master. ANDREW: The only message we needed was that the Kingdom of God is here now. Matthew, you turned ...

763. This Present Time

Luke 12:54-59, Luke 12:49-53

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... had a good time, didn't you? WENDY: I sure did. And Mom made her great fried chicken. I just love her fried chicken. DAD: Boy, yeah, it was good. I wish ... I told you not to talk about them! WENDY: Then what can we talk about? There's no subject we can talk about. I'm always thinking about Mom and Sammy and once in a while it just slips out. I have to talk to you, Dad. I don't have any friends. DAD: You'll make some new friends. It won't take long. You'll see. WENDY ...

764. The Sending Plan (Alternate title: Our Human Predicament)

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... from flying over your head; but you can keep them from building a nest in your head." He was talking about sexual temptations which can become lust. When we don't stop sexual temptations early, they make their home in our minds and become demons. People are subject to the divisive invasion of the demons called lust. If you are still not sure of the reality of demons, ask a recovering alcoholic how his or her condition was produced, or how difficult it is to overcome; or ask someone who is trying to recover ...

765. From The Redemption Of A King To A King Of Redemption

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

... battle -- then had his general order the rest of the army to fall back so Uriah would be killed. King David them claimed Bathsheba for himself. But what made David's sin so great and notable is that David was the king! Uriah was his subject. David represented the host country. Uriah was the Hittite, the stranger, an alien who had married into the tribe. David, the king, represented the powerful. Uriah represented the powerless. However, David the King was soon to discover that God stands on the side of ...

766. Peace And The Peacemakers

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

Richard Patt

... cross in the back of his mind when he was speaking publicly or with his disciples. That seems to be the case here. He is talking with his disciples about living their lives in total commitment to God. The longer he talks about it, the more the subject excites him. All of a sudden he seems to shift the focus to himself, having reminded himself in his own conversation of the total commitment that was soon to be demanded of him! He realizes that his own nonviolent efforts to announce and proclaim the kingdom ...

767. The Perisitent Noise Of Solemn Assemblies

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... .It involves action -- action of justice and love. As one scholar put it: "God was true. And God demanded that his servants should be like Him. To know the truth, therefore, is to stand under the imperative of God, and so the object of knowledge has become the subject of action."2 So it is that God says, "Be ye holy as I am holy." Knowing the truth means not only contemplating it, but doing it. Believing in God's justice and love means manifesting it in the world. Worship of God and Jesus as Lord implies ...

768. The Advent Of Our Lord

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... 's hope that a remnant would escape God's judgment and live a modest, peaceful existence in Jerusalem is a far cry from the grand hopes of the post-exilic prophet who composed our text. This text comes from a time when Israel was truly humbled and lowly, subject to oppression from others. At that time, the people needed true comfort and real hope. They needed a vision which would lift their eyes and buoy up their spirits. That is the nature of the glorious good news of our text. In order for it to be good ...

769. Arise! Shine! For Your Light Has Come

Isaiah 60:1-22

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... gold, as to a king. Christ is our ruler and our benefactor. We depend upon him for guidance and protection. They offered him incense, as to a god, for Jesus is more than human. He is the cosmic Christ; all thrones and authorities and principalities and powers are subject to him. He is in control, and we can entrust our lives to him. Finally, they offered him myrrh, an embalming spice, as to a suffering servant and a dying god. This is not a god unfamiliar with our world. He came to suffer and die with us ...

770. Called To Pull Down; Called To Rebuild

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... all its specificity to Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah (1:1), during the reigns of Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah (1:2-3). In what seems to be a simple superscription, we are already alerted to the fact that the kings and rulers of the earth are subject to a greater power, a power which, though often hidden, still orders historical events. Jeremiah had a sense of that overriding power in his own life. He had experienced his call as something outside himself, a power which overwhelmed him. He had lamented: O Lord ...

771. A Tree Well Watered

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... drop of moisture, this was a very vivid image. It is the picture of a wasted and barren life. What is interesting is that they give the appearance of life and they do not even notice when relief comes (v. 6). They have become so confused in their values, so subject to the materialism of the day, that they have actually come to believe that "It doesn't get any better than this." How sad, how sorry, how cursed are they. They reap what they have sown. I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to ...

772. Made New By Taking A Different Road Home

Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... that word of Good News. How is the message diffused? How does such power become pabulum? A bishop asked that dangerous question to an actor once. The bishop inquired, "Why is it that we preachers usually make little impression with the lofty and true subjects that we proclaim, while you actors move people on the stage so much with your fiction?" The actor replied, "It is because we speak of fictitious things as though they were true, whereas the clergy talk about true things as though they were fictitious ...

773. Gifts: Rejected And Exchanged, Accepted And Shared

1 Samuel 2:12-26

Sermon

Tony Everett

... canteen, the traveler began a lengthy journey in the hot sun to the palace. Unknown to the traveler, when he finally reached his destination, the water had become stale within its leather container. However, the king graciously accepted the gift of his faithful subject. He drank deeply, with an expression of gratitude and fulfillment. The traveler departed with joy in his heart. After he had gone, other members of the king's court tasted the stale water and asked why the king had pretended to enjoy it ...

774. Reach For The Light

Isaiah 60:1-22

Sermon

Tony Everett

... School classes, and in parish retreats. No, they are not "fanatics." They are just like you and me, struggling against the darkness that threatens to overcome us all. More than today's typical "sideline" Christian, these folks have let God become the subject of more verbs in their vocabularies. They have taken seriously Isaiah's call to arise, and shine, for they know that their Light, our Light, has indeed come. How did they develop this amazing power of witness? In each congregation opportunities were ...

775. Extreme Measures

1 Kings 21:1-29

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

The tragedy of Naboth is a lesson in the lengths some leaders will go to have their way and maintain power. Theft of property, conspiracy, and assassination are a few of the diabolical machinations employed by some leaders to maintain control over their subjects. In our text today we find that Jezebel has plotted the death of a man named Naboth because he refused to give up his land to King Ahab so that the king might have a vegetable garden. The crimes of grand theft and murder over such a paltry thing as ...

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