Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 801 to 825 of 1182 results

Romans 5:1-8

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... .E.M. sang about and e e cummings wrote about) who come to church seem to give the impression that suffering, hurt, and pain have no place in church or in the heart of God. We seem to avoid the "God question" when suffering is its worst. You know the classic question that seems unanswerable in the face of human suffering: How can you believe in God when there is much suffering in this world? In the face of such suffering, how can God be both all loving and all powerful? If God is love, then God can't be all ...

802. Rooting for the Bad Guys?

Lk 16:1-13

Illustration

King Duncan

... . Philosopher Immanuel Kant believed this universal desire of human beings to see justice accomplished pointed the way to God. He called it "a universal sense of oughtness." The Hero's Adventure is what it is sometimes called in storytelling. It is the classic formula of popular fiction. A virtuous person is called on to face overwhelming odds. He or she nearly loses possibly at the risk of his or her own life. Eventually, however, our hero is victorious. And vicariously we celebrate alongside the hero ...

803. Radiate Love

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Atomic Power in the 40's, Sci Fi writers and film makers started letting their imaginations run wild. We didn't know that much about Radiation and the effects of radiation, so everything was fair game. The movie industry started churning out such classics as "Them" in which the monster was giant ants. "The Amazing Colossal Man" who kept growing and growing until he was 50 feet tall. "The Giant Behemoth" an underwater lizard effected by Atomic testing. And "The Beginning of the End" where giant grasshoppers ...

804. What Are You Doing?

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

Edward F. Markquart

In 1905, we received a classic interpretation of this parable in the person of Dr. Albert Schweitzer. The truth of the parable finally penetrated his heart and Dr. Schweitzer wrote the following words: "We British (and Americans) are the rich people. Out there in Africa lies wretched Lazarus. Just as the rich man sinned against Lazarus ...

805. What Should We Do?

Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... far you willing to go to reap the promise of Christmas? To behold the wonder of Christmas? To receive the greatest gift ever given. PURSUE Christmas with the same excitement as the Wise Men. "What should we do?" PURSUE. Conclusion Mark Connelly in his classic play "Green Pastures” imagines the angel Gabriel approaching God, who is in deep thought. God is troubled about what is happening on the earth. He is troubled because he has sent his prophets and messengers, but the people on earth refuse to listen ...

806. We Are Blessed, Adopted and Sealed

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

One of the classic American fairy tales and one of the most watched movies ever is The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland. I remember when Mary and I were first married, we bought our first color TV so we could watch the Wizard of Oz in color. Do you remember the end of ...

807. A Small Man Who Was Given a Big Heart

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Where society saw only a bum and a whore, grace saw ‘a little kid,’ a person made in the image of God no matter how defaced that image had become. That’s what grace looks like.” (6) Lloyd C. Douglas in his classic work, “The Mirror,” imagines an exchange that took place between Jesus and Zacchaeus after Zacchaeus’ conversion. “Zacchaeus,” said the carpenter gently, “What did you see that made you desire this peace?” “Good master,” replies Zacchaeus, “I saw mirrored in your eyes ...

808. The Completely Accurate, but Totally Absurd Answers

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

In the children's classic, THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, Milo, Tock and Humbug are traveling to the Lands Beyond. They are greeted by the twelve-faced Dodecahedron who is a specialist in problems. "I'm not very good at problems," admits Milo. "What a shame," sighs the Dodecahedron. "They're so very useful. Why, did you ...

809. Passive Dependency vs. Responsible Involvement

Luke 21:5-38

Illustration

Gary L. Carver

... easier than a stance of responsible involvement. Who has not, like a little child, wanted to gather up all the broken things and take them to Daddy to fix? The impulse to let someone else come in and solve all our difficulties is very strong; in fact, it is the classic infantile reaction to any problem, and who can deny that speculating abstractly about a problem or about the future is less demanding than working at solving the problem, or serving lovingly and sacrificially in the present?

810. The Prayer of a Thief

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... had a kingdom? Had he heard him teach about the kingdom sometime? Was he there when Christ performed some miracle? Was it the Holy Spirit working in his heart bringing him to Christ even without physical evidence? Dr. Dennis Kinlaw once preached a classic sermon on the subject of “Malchus’ ear.” Can you imagine that? An entire sermon preached about someone’s ear? Do you remember Malchus? Jesus and his disciples had entered the garden of Gethsemane to pray. Judas knows they are going there and he ...

811. Romans 13:11-14

Romans 13:8-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... gone” was prime-time for preparing for the new day’s arrival. Paul’s image subtly shifts now from “night” and “day” to “darkness” and “light.” The struggle between the dangers of darkness and the promise of light are classic biblical images. Paul highlights the combative nature of this confrontation between darkness and light by describing the proper attire for living in the “light” as “armor” (“hopla”). Christians living in the pre-dawn dimness of the accomplished eschaton ...

812. The Christmas Promise: God with Us - Sermon Starter

Matthew 1:18-25

Illustration

James W. Moore

... sent a telegram to his wife which carried these words: "Honey, seems I'm lost again. Presently, I am at Market Harborough. Where ought I to be?" As only a spouse could say it, she telegraphed back a one-word reply "HOME!" This is precisely what this classic passage in the first chapter of Matthew does for us... it brings us home... Home to the real meaning of Christmas Home to the most magnificent truth in the entire Bible Home to our Lord's greatest promise Home to the reason we celebrate Christmas Namely ...

813. John 1:29-42

John 1:29-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... follow him back to Jesus. Once he comes face-to-face with Jesus, however, he experiences a huge change of life. The evidence of this change is revealed by John’s gospel vocabulary. Jesus looks at Simon Peter and “renames” him — a classic example of influence over another. By “renaming” Simon Peter Jesus both expresses his divine power and presence, and he literally transforms Simon Peter into a new being, into “Cephas,” The Rock. It is Jesus’ declaration that creates a new person who will ...

814. Hear Him

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... promise to the Hebrew people. Like the greatest prophets of the past, Jesus journeys upward first. Mountaintop experiences involve high altitude to increase divine amplitude. As the disciples watch in amazement Jesus’ face and clothing take on all the classic features associated with heavenly beings. His face “radiates” and shines with light. His clothes glow with “dazzling” whiteness. Suddenly Jesus and the disciples are no longer alone. Two of the most important figures in Israel’s history are ...

815. Big "J" and Little "j"

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... hand of God and is implanted in our hearts. The glorified, ascended Christ who reigns in heaven is Jesus with a “big J.” The Christ who lives in us, whose Spirit we are encouraged to birth into this world, is Jesus with a “little j.” The classic Dr. Seuss book is the ABCs. This ABC book carefully introduces new readers to the reality that every letter of the alphabet comes in two forms. Every page starts the same way: “Big A, little a, what begins with “A”? “Big B, little b, what begins ...

816. Christ of the Deep

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Mark Trotter

In the port of Genoa there is a statue that is called the Christ of the Deep. It is in the form of those classic statues of Jesus with his arms outstretched, as if to say, "Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The statue is placed beneath the surface of the water in the harbor, descended into the depths of the ocean, as a ...

817. The Five-a-Day Rule

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... dreams. With so much of our culture completely “unchurched” and biblically illiterate, especially about the New Testament, there are still three stories, three individuals, that remain popular in the common cultural vocabulary. The first is the Good Samaritan, Jesus’ classic story of an unexpected compassion. The second is the Prodigal Son. Again a tale of unlooked for grace and unpredictable acceptance. The third is Doubting Thomas, the story of the disciple who would not take anyone’s testimony as ...

818. Optical Illusions

Luke 24:13-35

Illustration

Mickey Anders

I love optical illusions. There are two pictures which are classic optical illusions where your mind plays tricks on you. In the first, some people see an old woman; some people see a young woman. In the second one, some people see a rabbit; some people see a duck. Physicists say that optical illusions prove that our brains add substantially to ...

819. From Temple to Table

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... had deep roots in agriculture. The first “hands‑on” activity for God recorded in the Bible is as a “mud‑pie” maker. In Genesis 2, the oldest creation account we have, God is an artist crafting humanity out of dirt and water, a classic mud pie mixture known to potters of all ages. Throughout the Hebrew Bible God is referred to with shepherding imagery. God is Israel’s shepherd. God herds Israel away from harm. Israel is repeatedly referred to as the “sheep,” the favored “flock” that ...

820. When We Glimpse Paradise

John 14:1-4

Illustration

Robert Allen

In 1816, Lord Byron wrote a narrative poem that has become a classic. The poem is titled, "The Prisoner of Chillon," and it is the story of a man incarcerated in the dungeon at the Castle of Chillon near Lake Geneva, Switzerland. The prisoner was in a narrow, cramped dungeon cell for such a long time that he began to think of it ...

821. Wrong!

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Christ’s church. There is no reason to pretend we’ve never been completely and unswervingly wrong. It is that recognition that has always pushed Christ’s earthly body, the Spirit-filled church, forward in its mission, and expanded its message. The classic document of the Reformed tradition, the Westminster Confession of Faith, which was drawn up in 1646 by the Westminster Assembly of Divines, has a total chapter devoted to the church. Point 5 of Chapter 25 says this: The purest churches under heaven ...

822. In Our Own Language

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... , by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, simply hear the words in their own language? Either way it was a marvelous miracle. Ron Mehl, in his beautiful little book, Love Found a Way, tells about one of his favorite movie scenes. It takes place in the classic Christmas movie Miracle on 34th Street. A little girl is brought into a department store to visit Santa Claus. The girl’s guardian isn’t sure they should have come, for the girl speaks only Dutch. The worried woman doesn’t want the girl’s tender ...

823. Romans 7:15-25a

Romans 7:7-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . Nevertheless, for Christians and for those outside the faith, when the flesh alone strives to “do the good” the result is tragically predictable: “the evil I do not want is what I do” (v.19). The Roman poet Ovid observed this same dilemma in his classic “Metamorphoses:” I see the better way and I approve it; but I follow the worse” (Metamorphoses, 7:19-21). Paul’s morose conclusion is coached in the form of yet another “law” or principle: “when I want to do what is good, evil lies ...

824. Will They Grow? God Only Knows.

Matthew 13:1-23

Illustration

Johnny Dean

... and asked them, since I was music director for the week, which songs they had gotten the most enjoyment out of singing. I expected their choices to be the rowdy, lively songs we had sung, like "Pharaoh, Pharaoh," (sung to the tune of the 1960's rock and roll classic, "Louie, Louie,") or "Rise and Shine," or "Do Lord." But the song most of the campers I asked said they would remember most from camp was a little praise chorus I had taught them, "Lord, You Are." Do you know it? It's a quiet, beautiful hymn of ...

825. Why Are You Acting Like Orphans?

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of God,” was “good news” — a “gospel,” indeed. If first-century Christians could “get it,” why can’t we? Why is it that we pray to God as “Our Father” but we behave as though we were abandoned and unloved orphans? Charles Dickens’ classic tale of an orphan’s life was exposed and exploited in his novel Oliver Twist. Orphaned Oliver’s naive, plaintive plea to the abusive authorities is famously remembered as, “Please sir, may I have some more?” The “world” the powers and ...

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