Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 776 to 800 of 4934 results

776. The One Thing God Can Not Do

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

King Duncan

I don’t know about you, but one of the constants in my life is time spent with God. I depend on time spent in prayer. I lean heavily on the belief that God loves me and that God responds to my concerns. However, suppose when I went to God, I got God’s voice mail instead? Suppose I got an automated voice saying: “Thank you for calling My Father’s House. Please select one of the following four options: Press 1 for a request. Press 2 to give thanks. Press 3 to complain. For all other inquiries, press 4.” So I ...

777. Israel Punished and Restored

Hosea 2:2-23

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

The Desire of the Lord (2:2-15): Once again the disciple who arranged chapters 1–3 has included a passage that serves as a summary of much of Hosea’s preaching (2:16–14:9). All of 2:2–15 represents genuine oracles of Hosea, but it is possible that this unit as a whole has been put together from originally independent oracles, such as 2:2–4; 2:5–7a; 2:7c–10; 2:11–13; and 2:14–15. As it now stands, however, the pericope forms a rhetorical whole. The setting for these words is a court of law, indicated by the ...

778. Who is That Crouching at Your Door?

Genesis 4:1-26

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“If thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee.” — Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil Envy is perhaps the deepest root of all evils. Envy is the desire to have what someone else has, to be like someone else, to be given what someone else has received, to obtain what one perceives one deserves. Envy is the opposite of satisfaction in and surrender to God. And it’s at the core of human nature. It’s stimulated by the eye, and desires of the gaze. The gaze here is not the feminist concept of ...

779. A Spear, A Nail, A Cross

Psalm 22:1-31

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

(Each member of the congregation is handed two toothpicks as he or she enters the sanctuary.) It seemed like the beginning rather than the end. At least it seemed like the beginning as it is recorded in Genesis 1:2 -- The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep .... The world of so many people seemed formless and empty that Friday so long ago. And darkness seemed to have covered the face of the land with its black mask. It was a moral darkness as well as a physical ...

780. Be Charitable In Your Judgment

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Sermon

Richard Hasler

A few years ago fires ravaged hundreds of homes in the Oakland, California, area. Sometimes a single house would be spared, standing alone amidst the burned wreckage of homes surrounding it. In the front of one such house which had been saved the owners erected a huge sign: "Thank You, Jesus." Upon seeing the sign one child said to his parents, "Jesus must hate us. Our house got burned."1 Of course, we would be grateful if our house had been one of the fortunate ones in the midst of the raging fire, but ...

781. God's Power Over Death

Exodus 1:1-22, 2:1-10

Sermon

Steve Burt

Unto a woman is born a child, Moses. But the timing is unfortunate, for this is at a time when Pharaoh has ordered all newborn Hebrew males thrown into the Nile. So Moses' mother hides him for three months until she cannot hide him any longer. She's got her back against the wall, knows she's got to do something, and that's when she and her daughter (Moses' sister) cook up this plan. They waterproof a wicker cradle to transform it into a miniature Noah's Ark. Into it goes baby Moses. They place the wicker ...

782. We Know Exactly How You Feel, Jesus

Hebrews 2:5-18

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

Oh, Christmas has come and gone, but its scent lingers: spiced cider, evergreen, bayberry candles, cookies baking, popcorn, ham and scalloped potatoes, chestnuts roasting, and hot chocolate. Christmas has come, and its scent lingers: the aroma of newspaper casually read by a crackling fire or the smell of a new book received as a gift; pungent chemicals of instant pictures developing, or tempera paint on a homemade gift; play- dough, silly putty, gift perfume or cologne, shoe polish applied generously for ...

783. Written On The Heart

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

A place to start with this passage is the use of the word "husband" by Jeremiah to describe the message God has given him. But let's jump, for a moment, to the Old Testament book of Hosea. It's a metaphorical story about a man, Hosea, whose wife was unfaithful. Ancient law would have permitted all sorts of dire punishment for that, but Hosea loved his wife too much to think in terms of punishment. Instead, he wanted her back, hopefully as things had been before her adultery. Thereafter, the story tells of ...

784. We Know Exactly How You Feel, Jesus

Matthew 8:3, Luke 7:14, Luke 8:44

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

785. EPISODE 7: MAUNDY THURSDAY

Drama

Robert Clausen

ACT THREE EPISODE 7: MAUNDY THURSDAY BISHOP JESUS FIRST CLERGYMAN SECOND CLERGYMAN SOLDIER PETER CAPTAIN GOVERNOR BISHOP MAN [JESUS stands before the BISHOP and the FIRST and SECOND CLERGYMEN.] BISHOP: Do you still defy us? JESUS: If I have done something wrong, tell me what it Is. BISHOP: You can answer that yourself. What are you trying to teach? JESUS: You could have come to hear me. FIRST CLERGYMAN: Mind your tongue. SECOND CLERGYMAN: That’s no way to talk to the Bishop. BISHOP: Let it pass. We know ...

786. Saints With Crooked Haloes

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Most of you know that great country comedian from McComb, Mississippi, named Jerry Clower. He is a former fertilizer salesman and a devoted Baptist layman. Jerry tells about a lady he knew down in Amite County. She lived near a construction site where workers were putting a tar roof on a building. This lady had sixteen children--or "young'uns," as Jerry called them. One day she lost one of her children. She hunted around and found that he had fallen into a fifty-gallon drum of black roofing tar at the ...

787. The Most Vexing Question In The Bible

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to read again some of the strongest words that ever came from the lips of our Master. Jesus was making his way through the towns and villages leading to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up, and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, `Sir, open the door for us.' But ...

788. On Trusting the Work of God

Mark 4:1-20

Sermon

George Reed

Jesus spoke to the people in parables about the reign of God. He compared it to the plant life that was all around them, to wheat fields and mustard plants. The growth of the reign of God in the world is like a plant that may start out small but can grow and become a magnificent place for shelter. It happens like the farmer who plants the seed but the growth comes when he is not looking. He participates in it but he doesn't know how it actually happens. The growth comes and he participates in and enjoys ...

789. God’s Surprises

Acts 10:44-48

Sermon

Ron Lavin

The initiating incident in the story of Peter and Cornelius is reverse anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is prejudice against the Jews. Reverse anti-Semitism is prejudice by the Jews against Gentiles. Gentiles are non-Jews. In the first-century church one of the biggest problems was the big question of what to do with Gentiles who wanted to become Christians. Some Christians insisted that the Gentiles could only become Christians if they were circumcised and became Jews first. Others, including Peter and Paul, ...

790. Mrs. Proverbs

Proverbs 31:10-31

Sermon

Stan Purdum

It's a question you've probably not thought much about, but were any parts of the Bible written by women? We count about forty different writers in scripture, and according to the usual assumption, all of them were men. Among the reasons for that conclusion is the fact that the dominant culture of the ancient Middle East was patriarchal. Men were in charge, and women had few rights of their own, not unlike in some of the stricter Muslim countries today. Also, in those times, literacy rates for women were ...

791. Our Magnificent, Mysterious, Mischievous God

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sermon

David E. Leininger

This is a fun story, one of many in scripture that is 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 ...

792. Slaves to Righteousness

Romans 6:15-23

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

In chapters 6–7 Paul discusses the Christian life using four metaphors: baptism (6:1–14), slavery (6:15–23), marriage (7:1–6), and psychology (7:7–25). The present section on slavery continues the interplay between indicative and imperative: what God has done leads to what we ought to do. Paul presents his ideas in a series of antithetical statements: “under law / under grace” (v. 15), “sin which leads to death / obedience which leads to righteousness” (v. 16), “free from sin / slaves to righteousness” (v ...

793. Be Reconciled with the Lord

2 Corinthians 5:20b--6:10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Two brothers who lived on adjoining farms developed a bitter dispute. It was their first serious rift in forty years of farming side-by-side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as necessary. They had never had a quarrel until now. It began with a small misunderstanding but eventually mushroomed into a major difference, and finally exploded into a war of words, followed by separation and silence. One morning there was a knock at the back door of the elder brother’s door. He opened the door and ...

794. Sacrifice Leads to Life

Hebrews 10:16-25

Sermon

Richard Gribble

In the fifteenth century, a rural village in Germany was home to a family with eighteen children. The family was poor, but despite the difficulty of making ends meet, two of the boys still held a dream, namely to pursue their talent as artists. With the financial situation bleak, the two boys came up with their own solution to the problem. They agreed to toss a coin with the loser going to the local mines to work so he could support the other while he attended art school. When the first was finished with ...

795. Haunted

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Ok…How many of you have had the experience of looking back at your life and lamenting (perhaps over and over) a mistake you wish you wouldn’t have made? I think we’ve all done that at one time or another. How many of you have had it keep you up at night? That nagging, awful feeling of blame and guilt that just won’t let you go. The nightmares, the sleepless nights! We can be awfully hard on ourselves sometimes. Wrestling in itself is not bad. It helps us discern right from wrong. It helps us learn and grow ...

796. A Hands-on Religion

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

John A. Stroman

A leper confronted Jesus and said to him, "If you want to, you can make me clean." I would imagine that the crowd around Jesus fell silent. They all gazed at him and wanted to see what he was going to do. They probably said to themselves, "One thing he would never do is touch him." Then they remembered that in his previous healing incidents he did touch those who were sick. "Would he now risk such a thing?" they murmured one to another. What made this such an electrifying moment was the fact that they ...

797. Charlie Used To Do That

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

The people said, "Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, just as the scripture says, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' " Jesus answered, "What Moses gave you was not the bread from heaven; it is my Father who gives you the real bread from heaven." Jesus is referring to the fact that even when God gave the whole Israelite community manna the people still complained; they were not satisfied. God then gave the Hebrews quail and they continued to be dissatisfied. Later on the whole Israelite community ...

798. Easter 7

John 17:20-26, Psalm 47:1-9, Acts 7:54--8:1a, Acts 16:6-10, Acts 16:16-40, 1 Samuel 12:1-25, Revelation 22:7-21

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE This Sunday might very well be called "Consolidation Sunday," because it is known now as the Seventh Sunday of Easter, rather Exaudi, the Sunday after the Ascension of our Lord. Whereas, Exaudi had a mini-season of a week's duration with Pentecost as its octave, the Seventh Sunday is deliberately incorporated into the great 50 days of Easter. In effect, it "completes" the Easter season, which is brought to a dramatic closure on the festival of Pentecost. The "Christ is risen! He is risen, ...

799. Charlie Used To Do That

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

800. And Forgive Us Our Trespasses, As We Forgive Those Who Tresp

Matthew 6:12

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: a NO TRESPASSING sign Have you ever been some place that you were not supposed to be? Have you ever crossed a busy street when you were not supposed to, or gone into someone's yard where children are not allowed to play, and then remembered that this was going to get you into trouble? If any of those things have ever happened to you, then you know what an awful feeling it is to be somewhere that you are not supposed to be. I had a neighbor who had a sign in his yard that told everyone to stay out. ...

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