Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 801 to 825 of 1679 results

801. In the Spirit's Tether

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Allan J. Weenink

To be in the Spirit’s tether means that we are joined with one another in a unique way, because all of us are bound by a loyalty and love that is greater than any one of us individually. There is a beautiful Communion anthem which describes the evolving process. Draw us in the Spirit’s tether; for when humbly in thy name, two or three are met together, Thou art in the midst of them: Alleluya! TOUCH WE NOW THY GARMENT’S HEM. As the brethren used to gather in the name of Christ to sup, then with thanks to ...

802. Running With Patience

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

Allan J. Weenink

In the book of Hebrews there is a fascinating phrase. The writer says, "... let us run with patience the race that is set before us, our eyes fixed on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith ..." There’s an interesting antithesis here: run with patience. Just exactly how do you do that? When we run a foot race, we don’t want to be hampered by anything. The competitor throws off all restraints and eagerly thrusts forward to the goal, unencumbered except with a burning passion to finish first. Is there ...

803. The Evangelism Of Emphasis - 1946

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Kent Moorehead

Emphasis on evangelism is essential to vital Christianity. The evangelization of the world is its main business. But this means vastly more than a matter of additional church members. It is, above all else, a matter of transformed, empowered personalities. Evangelism means preaching the gospel to secure conversions. The essence of the gospel that the Christian Church is supposed to proclaim is simply this: "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; they are become new ...

804. Worn Out? Tired? Weary?

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

In both his Letter to the Galatians and his Letter to the Thessalonians, Saint Paul, without equivocation, admonishes us all NOT to be weary. And then, paradoxically almost, in 2 Corinthians, we find that he is after all, human himself, and he admits that he himself has often been weary. Perhaps it’s the most used expression in our conversation: "I’m tired! I’m beat! I’m dead! I’m weary! I’m worn out! I’ve had it!" Christian people are supposed to feel beneath them the everlasting arms. Instead, they feel ...

805. No Retaliation

Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

What do you do when a competitor puts out a false report about your product to the customers? Do you circulate a negative report about his product? When you are not included on someone's invitation list, what do you do? Cut that person off your invitation list? If someone calls you a racist, what's your reaction? Do you shout, "You're a bigger one!"? Honest answers to these questions reveal whether we are with or against Jesus in one of his most radical stands. He taught us never to retaliate, but instead ...

806. Servants Without Fiber

Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon

Donald Macleod

A biblical scholar once remarked: "One of the most common expressions in the Old Testament of the relationship between humankind and God is contained in the words ‘serve,’ ‘service,’ and ‘servant.’ " What comes to your mind when you hear any one of these words? What do you think of when you hear the word "servant"? A flunky? A gofer? A Victorian called "Jeeves"? Someone with no mind of his or her own? A person who lacks fiber and is easily a patsy for someone else to use or "lord it over"? Unfortunately, ...

807. All-Out Love

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

James W. Robinson

Jesus is now in Jerusalem, where the death he has predicted is little more than a breath away. His enemies are closing in, firing salvos of accusations impugning his religious orthodoxy and his loyalty to Caesar. They hope to find blasphemy and treason in his responses. What pastor has not found himself in somewhat the same situation? The telephone rings in the parsonage, manse, or rectory. A caller, who prefers to remain anonymous, launches a mini-probe of the pastor’s beliefs about heaven and hell, and ...

808. The Gospel for Labor Day

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

The parable of the workers in the vineyard is an appropriate text for meditation on Labor Day, not only because it speaks of labor and management but because it places everyday work in the perspective of the gospel of the kingdom of God. It helps us to bridge the gap that too often exists between Sunday and Monday, our worship and our work. The word of God is not limited to our Sunday worship. It is not confined within the four walls of the church and associated only with what we wear and what we eat on ...

809. Smart, Wise, and Foolish

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

The current President of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors is DONALD C. HOUTS. Formerly a local pastor, a chaplain-supervisor, and professor of pastoral care and counseling at St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Missouri, he is presently Director of Pastoral Care and Counseling for the Illinois Area of the United Methodist Church. His sermons offered here were directed to the congregation of Wesley United Methodist Church in Champaign, Illinois, where he sometimes is asked to preach for ...

810. The Measure of Greatness

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

Some years ago St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City was seeking a new president. Over one hundred candidates applied for the position. The search committee narrowed the list to five eminently qualified persons. Then somebody came up with a brilliant idea: let's send a person to the institutions where each of the five finalists is currently employed, and let's interview the janitor at each place, asking him what he thinks of the man seeking to be our president. This was done and a janitor gave such a ...

811. Winning When It Really Counts

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

Some people will do anything to win. The early days of baseball provide many notable examples. Before stadiums had permanent seats in the outfield, for example, teams were permitted to erect temporary bleachers or simply put up a rope if a large crowd was expected, and any ball hit into that area was ruled a ground-rule double. When Ty Cobb was managing the Tigers and a power-hitting team was visiting, he would have the grounds crew set up temporary bleachers, turning balls that might otherwise have been ...

812. A Family Celebration

Hebrews 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Bob Morely was a counselor for a senior high summer camp in California. One summer Bob was between regular jobs, and was therefore rather short of cash. Word of his situation spread around camp, and the campers took up a special collection and raised a hundred dollars which they presented to him. Now the camp had a tradition of having a farewell party on the last day, Friday night. The youth would usually pool their money together, and one of the counselors would go to town and purchase snack food for them ...

813. What Would It Take?

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

One fellow was bragging to another about his grandfather: "My grandfather," he said, "knew the exact day of the exact year when he was going to die. Not only that, he knew the time he would die that day as well." His friend said, "Wow, that's incredible. How did he know all of that?" The first fellow said: "Because a judge told him." An old man looks out from prison bars. This is a view he's seen before. He's been arrested many times. He has suffered numerous beatings. Funny how life turns out. He was once ...

814. What Makes A Person Successful?

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

King Duncan

Maxie Dunnam tells about a recent PEANUTS cartoon in which Lucy--that bossy, assertive, always-take-control character--is playing her role as psychiatrist. She sits in her booth with a banner on the top that says "Psychiatric Help--5 cents," and then down below a sign says, "The Doctor Is In." Charlie Brown is her patient. Lucy says to Charlie, "Your life is like a house . . ." In the next frame, she says reflectively, "You want your house to have a solid foundation, don't you?" Charlie Brown has a kind of ...

815. A Father Pleased With His Son

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Is there any son or daughter in this world who is not thrilled by this little declaration of praise from a parent, "I'm proud of you?" When baseball great Henry Aaron hit his 715th home run breaking Babe Ruth's remarkable record, that is what he said: "I don't' remember the noise, or the two kids that ran on the field. My teammates at home plate, I remember seeing them. I remember my mother out there and she hugging me. that's what I'll remember more than anything about that home run when I think back on ...

816. Tomorrow Doesn't Always Come

James 4:1-12

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

A very popular song from the musical Annie called "Tomorrow," was sung by the little red-haired orphan girl, and the words go something like this: The sun will come out tomorrow Bet your bottom dollar That tomorrow there will be sun And the refrain goes: Tomorrow, tomorrow It''s almost tomorrow It''s only a day away. Our hearts are really attracted to that, lifted up by those words. And the song does express the popular and comforting idea that there is always going to be more time, a second chance and ...

817. The Lord's Prayer: Hallowed be Thy Name

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Eric Ritz

As we continue our study of The Lord''s Prayer, we now look at the words "Who Art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name." We observe that though Jesus taught us about the privilege of having intimacy with God, there is a qualifying statement. I hope you noticed a paradox and great tension in these words of Jesus. While we have intimacy with God, Jesus reminds us that God is incomprehensible. The Kerygma Bible Study on this petition, "hallowed be Thy name," shared this insight: "True prayer is that approach to ...

818. Whose Servant Are You? (Part II)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Did you hear the story, from a month or so ago, about former President George Bush and the question of identity? According to one of the writers for the San Francisco Chronicle, President Bush, in his visit last month to Florida to survey the hurricane damage, evidently decided to get in a little campaigning, too. He visited a local nursing home and approached a little old lady sitting in a corner and asked, "Do you know who I am?" The woman said,"No, but if you go over to the desk, they''re usually able ...

819. Living with the Aches and Alleluias

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Eric Ritz

She had every reason to be bitter. The circumstances of life had dealt a ton of harshness for her to handle. "Though talented, she went unrecognized for years. Prestigious opera circles closed their ranks when she tried to enter. American critics ignored her compelling voice. She was repeatedly rejected for parts for which she easily qualified. It was only after she went to Europe and won the hearts of tough-to-please European audiences that stateside opinion leaders acknowledged her talent. "Not only has ...

820. Sweet-Smelling Fragrance

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Harold Warlick

Realtors tell us that an empty house is difficult to sell. Regardless of its physical beauty, a home "shows" better when it is furnished. Sellers are advised to have the home cleaned, have a fire going in the fireplace, turn on lamps, have soft music playing in the background, and place fresh flowers on tables and cabinets. The aura and smells that are presented to the customer are important. In major shopping malls the smells of baked cookies are sometimes injected into the ventilation system to lure ...

821. Don't Forget What You Look Like

James 1:19-27

Sermon

Harold Warlick

A young college graduate embarked on what he hoped would be a promising career in sales. He was outgoing, witty, and enthusiastic. His company assigned him his territory. It was a rural area in the Midwest. His responsibility was to sell the latest in farm equipment to the farmers in the area. With great fervor he memorized the strategy sales pitch and left his office to spread his message of "better farming through better equipment." His first two visits had not resulted in a sale. But he could sense that ...

822. Christmas Is On Top Of A Steep Hill

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Now will you hear the scripture lesson of the morning, from the 2nd chapter of Luke’s gospel, beginning with the 22nd verse and reading through the 35th verses? “And when the time came for their purification, according to the Law of Moses, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that opens the womb shall be called Holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord. A pair of turtle doves, or ...

823. Such A Babe In Such A Place

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Have you ever noticed, have you ever really contemplated our infinite capacity to complicate things? It’s like we have a built-in aversion to the simple. We take the simplest situation and we make it a complicated affair. We build molehills into mountains. Before we examine a question, we wrap it in confusion. Really though, when you get the heart of it, the great experiences of life, even the great insights, have a way of turning out to be very simple. At the heart of it, Christmas is a very simple thing ...

824. The Privilege and the Price

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

From time to time Chris Rock is noted in the Georgetown Times because his mother lives nearby. In 1999 the sometimes funny and always foul-mouthed comedian was interviewed in Vibe magazine. As usual, what he said was intended to shock, but not the way you might expect. When asked, "Were you raised Christian?" Rock answered: “I wasn't raised anything, to tell you the truth. My grandfather was a preacher. He was the funniest guy. He used to curse a lot, run around, whatever. A bunch of deacons from his ...

825. The God Who Must Be Pursued

Matthew 7:7-12

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

Arnold Palmer once played a series of exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia. The king was so impressed that he proposed, in good Middle Eastern fashion, to honor his guest with a gift. Palmer resisted, "It really isn't necessary, Your Highness. I'm honored to have been invited." And, in good Middle Eastern fashion, his highness persisted, "I would be deeply upset," replied the king, "if you would not allow me to give you a gift." Palmer thought for a moment, "All right. How about a golf club? That would be a ...

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