Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 801 to 825 of 1249 results

801. All in the Family

1 Timothy 3:14-15

Sermon

James Merritt

... - that is why we are here. He wanted children. You were born into your physical family so that you might be born again into God's spiritual family. That has always been His plan and purpose for you. Ephesians 1:5 says, "His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 1:5, NLT) You won't read this in the newspaper. You won't hear it on Larry King. Hollywood will never make a movie about it. Even as I am speaking to you, God ...

802. No One Left Behind

2 Kings 7:3-20

Sermon

James Merritt

... for theirs." (Ezekiel 3:18, NLT) Let's face it we are all aware of people around us who have been left behind. Now the question is - Do you care about those people and will you share with those people? Think about this. How would you life change if you adopted a "No One Left Behind" mentality? Who would you take to lunch or have to your home for dinner? Who would you add to your prayer list? Who would you invite to Cross Pointe? How would your financial priorities change? I have to tell you that last week I ...

803. What Is 40 Days Of Purpose?

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... missed the point, because the worship wasn't for you. The worship is for Him. That is the first purpose of my life. Here is the second purpose. II. You Were Formed For God's Family The bible says in Ephesians 1:5, "His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ and this gave Him great pleasure." (Ephesians 1:5, NLT) God not only wants you to worship Him, He wants you to be a part of His family. He wants you to understand that God loves you ...

804. The Big Picture

Romans 11:36, Ephesians 1:5, Colossians 3:18-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... the Bible, "Focus on the Family", because really the Bible is the story of how God is building a family, even now, that will love Him and worship Him and one day even reign with Him forever. Ephesians 1:5 says, "His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave Him great pleasure." (Ephesians 1:5, NLT) God passionately desires for your family to be as close to a picture perfect family as possible and that is why He put detailed ...

805. Choose Life

Exodus 20:13

Sermon

James Merritt

... tag in the state of Florida. In the intervening period has raised over $3 million dollars for the pro-life movement. It continues to raise $70,000 dollars a month. It goes to help maternity homes, pregnancy care centers and certain non-profit adoption agencies. [[1]] You could take the four words of the sixth commandment that are stated negatively and basically state them positively in these same two words - Choose Life - and you would understand what this commandment is all about. In the Hebrew language it ...

806. A Cure for the Workaholic

Genesis 2:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

... eventually get to the point where you are exhausted. The way you refresh yourself is simply to stop and get your breath. God has so made us that we need one day a week just to catch our breath. When I was a boy growing up, Coke-a-Cola had adopted as their marketing slogan a phrase that sticks even to this day, "The pause that refreshes", that is a perfect way to describe what God intended the Sabbath to be. We need a day a week to refresh our soul and to recharge our emotional batteries. We have totally ...

807. Dead Man Walking

John 11:38-44, John 11:17-37, John 11:1-16

Sermon

James Merritt

... revolves around three statements that are made by Jesus Christ in verses 11, 25 and 43. The first statement tells us this... I. We Must Expect The Fact Of Death Let me just summarize the setting and the background of the story. Jesus, in effect, had adopted the family of Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, as His own family. This is where He would always stay whenever He would come to Jerusalem. They were the best of friends. Lazarus, became extremely ill and the sisters sent word to Jesus that he ...

808. The Masterpiece

Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-28

Sermon

James Merritt

... throne of David had to be established so that Jesus could rightfully claim to be the Messiah and that legal right came through the Father. Matthew's genealogy proved that Jesus came from the line of David that went through Solomon. Joseph marries Mary, the mother of Jesus, adopts Jesus and becomes his legal father and as a result Jesus has the full legal right to the throne of David. The Bible is very clear that the Messiah had to be a literal descendant of David. Was He? The answer is found in Luke 3:23-38 ...

809. Broken Pieces

Matthew 1:3, 5, 6

Sermon

James Merritt

... result of human chance, but divine choice. God has sovereignly chosen our identity to fit us into His plan for the world. It is indeed breathtaking to see the hand of God in the birth of Jesus Christ. In Matthew, we see the genealogy of Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus. Because of this branch in His family tree, Jesus was legally the son of David and thus was qualified to be the Messiah. In Luke, we see the genealogy of Mary, the actual mother of Jesus. Because of this branch in His family tree, Jesus ...

810. A Song for Tomorrow

Psalm 1:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... . Then you pass into the third phase where you "Join in with scoffers." (Psalm 1:1, NLT) This is the worst stage of all. This is when you are really fully trapped with the wrong crowd. First you accept their advice. Then you imitate their action and then you adopt their attitude. That is exactly how the wrong crowd gets into a person's life. First they entice you, then they engage you and then they embrace you. All the psalmist is doing is simply telling us what we already know. The best way to deal with a ...

811. Things Change

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... needed to be made, leaders known as "judges" were called forth, but there was no institutionalized national leadership structure or formal way of selecting leaders. There was no office in which the authority to head all the tribes resided. Unfortunately, the people adopted that same loose attitude toward their responsibilities to the covenant with God. The book of Judges, which describes that period, closes with these words: "In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in ...

812. Prophet or Profit?

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

... an effort to see what they have in common and somehow stem the tide of 1.5 million abortions performed in the United States every year by concentrating on positive things: combating teen pregnancy, giving other alternatives for women, and reforming adoption laws. People can make a difference! People make a difference at First Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, every day of the week. This church is involved in over twenty ministries in downtown Chattanooga. People build houses for Habitat for Humanity ...

813. What Outsiders Can Teach Us

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

David R. Cartwright

... Americans are. Secondly, in much the same manner, we can learn from those outside that we are not the only ones God loves. I think of my aunt, Bessie Cartwright. Though not actually my aunt, she had the same name, and as she was a member of our church she adopted me, and asked me to call her "Aunt Bessie." One day, Aunt Bessie became quite concerned about her next-door neighbor who happened to be Jewish. Aunt Bessie was never one to let go of an idea once it entered her head. She always had to act on it. So ...

814. Carrying the Burdens of Others

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . Years later, when Sundar had his own disciples, they asked him, "Master, what is life's most difficult task?" And Sundar replied, "To have no burden to carry." Sundar lived his new faith as a vocation. He left behind the ways of the past and adopted the Christian ethic to help others. He took a chance, a big chance, especially considering that the Buddhist monk had warned him of the need to seek shelter in the monastery before nightfall. But he understood that to sacrifice and give of oneself for another ...

815. A Servant in Saigon

Illustration

Keith Wagner

... . Two Air Force transport planes flew the children to the Philippines. Because her husband was dedicated to helping his wife he used $21,000 of his own money to charter a United Airlines plane to take the children to the states. Within a month all 219 children were adopted and placed in homes in the US. When Jesus advocates a life of self denial, he is not talking about being a martyr, nor is he wanting us all to be Mother Teresa or a Betty Tisdale. He is talking about denying ourselves the demand for power ...

816. The Boy Grows Up

1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... . A week later, there was Jason on their doorstep. The staff sat down with him and drew up a plan and schedule for him to volunteer for tree plantings and community education. Amazingly, he stuck to it and proved to be an enthusiastic worker. He adopted a desk as his own and frequently "hung out" in the office. For the first time in his life, Jason felt like a responsible person who had something to contribute to society. Tree Musketeers was founded by eight-year-olds in 1987, and the organization believes ...

817. Called by a New Name

Isaiah 62:1-5

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... their families of origin. Husbands and wives also combine their names. I know one person who refers to these couples as "the hyphenated families." Some couples even become creative, combining syllables of both surnames in order to form an entirely new name. Children who are adopted take their new family's last name. Regardless of the reason for acquiring a new name, it usually implies a change in our circumstances or status. We are also known by the names of what we do to earn a living, and where we belong ...

818. Abraham Believed God

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... long as we're doing the work of Jesus Christ? Do we even have to know about Jesus to do his work? When Paul wrote his letter to Galatian Christians, faith in Jesus was still centered in Jerusalem, and many assumed a new Christian had to adopt Jewish cultural practices. But in the Roman Empire there were many different cultural practices. People didn't think the same way. To some, circumcision was not the mark of a covenant but a disfigurement of a body they considered beautiful. While worship of one God was ...

819. He Will Abundantly Pardon

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... higher than our ways. Stop. In the midst of our technological marketplace, listen to the voice that rises above the others. On the journey of life in which we hurry, often without purpose or joy, slow down, stop, read the memorializing marker. Remember God's history, God's promises, and adopt a different way of looking at the world. Things aren't what you think — they're much, much better. Amen.

820. Tales of the Spiritually Stupid

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 18-22

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... so few children. Duh! • Church members who oppose making their building accessible to persons with handicapping conditions because, "We don't have anybody like that who comes here." Of course not — they can't get in the building! When one church council adopted a goal to increase participation by children and youth, the pastor suggested the congregation start an after-school program. "Many of these kids get off the bus in our parking lot," the pastor observed. "Some of them stick around and play at our ...

821. A Voice in the Wilderness

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... behind her ear, Stephanie said, “Mom’s necklace looks good on you. You smell good like she did too.” Mrs. Weaver’s heart melted. She vowed to renew her efforts to love Stephanie, and she succeeded! By the following Christmas, Stephanie had become her adopted daughter. (6) God seeks to break into our dark worlds, just as Mrs. Weaver sought to break into Stephanie’s. One way we can help that happen is through repentance. John’s message was, “The Messiah is coming, prepare the way for him through ...

822. Mary and Joseph: His Obedient Servants

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... wanted to believe. His love for Mary was so great. But he simply couldn’t believe. So he was distracted by anxiety, almost to the point of madness. He was just a man. He wanted to do the right thing. So he made his decision. He intended to adopt a middle course; he would not expose his betrothed; he loved her still. His justice as not the strict, stern justice which considers only the letter of the law; it was tempered with the gentler feeling as mercy and compassion. He could not bring one whom he loved ...

823. Good News for Widows

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... her life savings to the University of Southern Mississippi for black scholarships. “Now reporters and photographers are crawling all over her, local businesspeople have pledged to match her gift, and the young woman who was awarded the first McCarty scholarship has all but adopted her. McCarty says the one question she gets asked more than any other is why she did not spend the money on herself. ‘I am spending it on myself,’ she answers, smiling the slyest of smiles.” (6) That’s an amazing story ...

824. Finding Approval from God Alone

Luke 3:7-18

Illustration

Reginald Mallett

... lack of this man's approval. The man was Rossini and he was not smiling. Much is wrong with our society. We can all make a list: broken homes, the increase in violence and dishonesty, the lack of integrity in public life, the slow slide of the church into adopting the ways of the world, the decay of sexual morality. Who is willing to be the watchman who sounds the alarm? Who will call us back to God in repentance? It will not be a popular task. This Advent we salute the forerunner who prepared the way by ...

825. Every Day God Empowers

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... ." Once they found out it was safe to return, he didn't grow up in splendor. His stepfather had a good job but he was a blue collar worker. Joe worked in one of the trades. He worked long hours and he was his own boss but it meant his adopted son couldn't go to the best schools. The family couldn't afford it. But then that was pretty normal for the times. Only a few of the select and wealthy got to attend the finer schools. Despite his beginnings, Jesus had a pretty normal upbringing and lead a pretty ...

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