Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 826 to 850 of 1354 results

826. We Believe in the Holy Spirit

John 14:15-18, 25-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The word John uses to define the Holy Spirit is Paraclete—the one called along side another. The Holy Spirit is like a witness who takes the stand for a friend. The Holy Spirit is like an attorney who defends her client in court. The Holy Spirit is like a specialist who is called in to solve a problem. The Holy Spirit is like a soldier who arrives to replenish the front lines. On the eve of his departure, Jesus says to his anxious disciples, “I will ask the ...

827. Using the Best Materials

Galatians 5:16-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... they follow the example of David Robinson or Kobe Bryant? Both are great basketball players. David Robinson just spent nine million dollars to open a school for inner city kids in San Antonio, Texas, while Kobe Bryant will spend at least that much defending himself against a sexual assault case with a 19-year–old in a Colorado hotel room, with whom he has already admitted committing adultery. Paul said life is a struggle. We are constantly dealing with take-over bids fueled by desires, addictions, anger ...

828. What Is the Future of United Methodism?

John 2:12-22

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Alive? twenty-five years ago. Will Willimon said it in his book Rekindling the Flame. Our response to such prophets has been to shoot the messenger instead of receiving the message. ‘We are called to be the true remnant of our heritage,’ say the defenders of the status quo. I wonder if John Wesley thought that when he took to preaching in the fields? ‘Let’s be practical,’ say others ‘and protect our pensions by raising more apportionments to fund them.’ Pastors of local churches from whom all ...

829. The Holy Spirit and You

John 14:15-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... toward anyone in the church by direct confrontation. “Go straight up to the person and say, ‘Excuse me, who hurt you, who slighted you? Let's go get it straightened out right now.' But, we will not talk critically about people who are not present to defend themselves and we will confront any loose talking that threatens the peace and unity of this Body." He makes that speech to everyone who joins that church. Is it any wonder that the Spirit of God is moving through them in a powerful sort of way ...

830. The Power of a Personal Commitment

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... world. I was pondering all of this the other day and the Lord got a hold of me. I don’t like it when I have to practice my own preaching. He said to me, “Howard, do you remember when you used to stand in the public square and defend the cause for the homeless?” I said, “Yes, I remember dealing with city governments, public opinion and all the rest.” The Lord said to me, “Why are you just satisfied now sending them money?” I started wondering—am I going to still hear the cry of the needy? I ...

831. Worship

Hebrews 10:19-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... to argue with Jesus about holy mountains. Jesus replied, “God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth." When it came to worship the woman would rather argue than adore, would rather speak than surrender, and would rather defend than follow, but Jesus would have nothing to do with that. He cut to the core. Worship is about God. Isn't all this stuff about dress, music, style, instruments, symbols, the devil's way of keeping our attention on the methods of worship and ...

832. Amos: The Problem of Justice

Amos 5:18-24

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... on in America. I shutter at those who want to wipe any reference to God off the pages of American history. A nation built on ethical relativity, “you have it your way, I'll have it mine," is destined to chaos. But have those who most defend the religious rites of America turned issues into idolatry and principles into politics? We fight over the public display of the Ten Commandments on stone tablets on courthouse lawns. Yet the second Commandment says, “Do not make for yourself an idol in the form of ...

833. The Power to Look Up

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... minds to understand the Scripture—not just our favorite passages, but all the Bible. Our country is a buzz about The Da Vinci Code. Both NBC and CBS have done documentaries on it. Hollywood has baited the Church into providing free advertisement for the movie. Defenders of the faith have flooded the market with counter attacks. People are constantly talking about it over lunch. Meanwhile, Mr. Dan Brown must be laughing all the way to the bank as his novel stays on the best seller list. I've said it before ...

834. In Prayer’s Way

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Fourth of July, when we honor those who put their lives “in harms way” that we may be safe in our armchairs and lawn chairs. We are only able to enjoy this summer’s beaches and barbecues because a long line of soldiers swore to “protect and defend,” and in doing so to put themselves in “harm’s way.” As the answers to Jesus’ prayer, we this morning need to commit ourselves to putting ourselves ‘in prayer’s way.’ When we kneel down, when we open ourselves to the power of all prayer, we ...

835. Reconsider

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... enough is enough. If you are a Christian, according to them, you should shop at Macy's and avoid Sears, and don't dare be caught inside Target because they are saying Seasons Greetings, not Merry Christmas. They have assembled about 1,500 lawyers to defend your personal right to say “Merry Christmas" wherever you want to say it. Meanwhile, it seems to me that Jesus must be weeping. Just weeping. He weeps that some feel compelled to legislate Him out of existence. They've not been very successful at that ...

836. Honoring God in a Pluralistic Society

Matthew 22:37-40

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... the willingness of people to stand up for their convictions. While I may question the wisdom of the Alabama judge who refused to remove the Ten Commandments from his Montgomery courthouse and even theologically wonder if he is breaking the second commandment by defending his graven image, I cannot doubt the passion of his heart nor his willingness to put his treasure where his heart is. Love God with all your mind. God is more than our minds can comprehend. Mind has to do with intellect, understanding ...

837. The Gentle Healer

John 9:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... tooth and nail." The truth may set you free, but first it will make you mad. Fear can blind us. These parents who had suffered all their lives are now confronted with the possibility of being excommunicated from the synagogue. So instead of defending him, they say to authorities, “Ask him, he is of age. Let him speak for himself" (Verse 21). Few denominations excommunicate people any more. But people in all denominations are constantly threatening to excommunicate themselves if things don't go their way ...

838. Rejoicing in God’s Saints

Philippians 1:1-6

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... the Protestant tradition, saints are not patrons, they are partners. They do not stand between us and God pleading our case before the throne, they stand beside us giving us a reason for the faith that lies within us. Through the years the saints have defended the faith from heresy, and affirmed the faith in all kinds of circumstances. The faith we have today is delivered to us by the saints, those living among us and those gone before us. Bishop Will Willimon tells the story about a fellow seminary student ...

839. Finding Our Place in the Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:12-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... into one Body. Two things happen at baptism. We are claimed and cleansed. We die with Christ at Baptism in order that we can be raised with Christ to new life. You are a loved child of God. So get over earning it, proving it, asserting it, defending it, demanding it. Take it from one who has tried it. None of that works. We are cleansed from all unrighteousness. At baptism we are saved from rugged individualism that assumes we have to do it ourselves and initiated into a community that lives by a new ...

840. Leave the Trouble in God's Hands

Luke 10:38-42

Illustration

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. George Muller Massena, one of Napoleon's generals, suddenly appeared with 18,000 soldiers before an Austrian town which had no means of defending itself. The town council met, certain that capitulation was the only answer. The old dean of the church reminded the council that it was Easter, and begged them to hold services as usual and to leave the trouble in God's hands. They followed his advice. The dean ...

841. Our Father...

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... sacrifice on the Cross be a God who seeks out pain and suffering for a new generation? Jesus’ final promise in today’s text is that God will “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Paraclete or Defender, the giver of every good and perfect gift. And as John Calvin warned, “in despising the gift, we insult the giver.” (Institutes, 2/2/15) That is the gift of the Father who loves all his children. And in the words of St. Augustine, “God’s goodness ...

842. Be Square

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , and small-town citizens. Square halo Jesus ate dinner with anyone who invited him over, played with the kids, wandered into the kitchen and chatted with the women about their lives. Square halo Jesus touched lepers and calmed down the crazy. Square halo Jesus defended the destitute, trusted in divine providence and had nothing to say in his own defense. Let’s be honest: square halo people are a little like square pegs they do not fit easily into a world devoted to bored-out, boring round holes. Let ...

843. God’s Weather Report

Matthew 5:38-48

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... believes that some use of violence and some acts of war are justified. The violence must be defensive, proportional, and a last resort, among other qualifications. A believer in just war thinks that sometimes countries need to use their military. Sometimes we have to defend ourselves, or our loved ones. We do need to resist the urge for vengeance. It is difficult to determine what exactly we should do in each situation. As best we can, we should resist violence. In the movie, Witness, many in the audience ...

844. Religious Balkanization

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... beginning, and proudly goes off to jail as a triumphant martyr for the white supremist cause. Flashbacks show how his father indoctrinated ethnic stereotypes and warlike blood pride into the family over mealtime monologues. But in prison, the only person who defends this tough skinhead against an even crueler world of torment and dehumanization is a black man. Suddenly, the old prejudices lose their punch and moral worlds collide. The inmate gets an education he never expected, and sees color and ethnicity ...

845. What Were You Thinking?

Micah 6:1-8

Sermon

Tony Everett

... success and happiness? What was Israel thinking? Our lesson today begins with God summoning Israel to court to explain just what exactly the people were thinking and doing. Here God is both judge and prosecutor. The nation of Israel is the defendant. The witnesses for the prosecution are the mountains and hills who are older than humankind. They know Israel's history and the righteousness of God. In the first five verses, God presents the opening argument for the prosecution. "Hear, you mountains, the ...

846. Whosoever Will

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... children. Arminius was not the first to disagree with Calvin. Others who disagreed were called "Remonstrants," and, in fact, Arminius set out to refute the Remonstrants, but ended up being convinced by them and becoming their best spokesman. So well did he defend their position that it soon became known as "Arminianism." In contrast to Calvin, the Arminians believed that Christ died for all people, not just for the so-called elect. They said that salvation comes by faith alone, that those who believe are ...

847. Endless Line of Blunder

Exodus 1:8

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... , Hitler and Stalin, and more today, and more tomorrow — the tyrants come and go. Their plots prevail for a moment. But God's purpose endures — and therefore God's people endure. So Samuel Stone sang: The Church shall never perish! Her dear Lord to defend, To guide, sustain, and cherish, Is with her to the end: Though there be those who hate her, And false sons in her pale, Against both foe or traitor She ever shall prevail.1 When the Sanhedrin was weighing their options against the early followers ...

848. Hidden in Plain Sight

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... central message is obscured." Paul did not limit his message literally to a theology of the cross: He taught about ethics, love, and prayer, but all flowed from the centrality of the work of Christ. Some people from the Wesleyan family of denominations defend a kind of narrow biblicism with John Wesley's famous self-description as a "man of one book." They are sometimes distressed or puzzled to learn that Wesley suggested his preachers read a passage from the Bible and Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ ...

849. So, Explain It to Me

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... . A classic example of basing the doctrine of the Trinity in the experience of the gospel of Christ is in today's reading from 2 Corinthians. With this benediction, Paul brings to a conclusion this letter. In the four previous chapters Paul has had to defend the authority of his apostleship after his critics have attacked the authority and legitimacy of his apostleship in every way. Paul's defense is not so much a defense of himself personally but a restatement of the gospel of the crucified Christ. He has ...

850. Righting Wrong

Romans 9:1-5

Sermon

Larry Lange

... budget. Jim was pleasantly surprised when the committee and even the council agreed. During the month before the annual meeting, Jim grew aware that there were tremendous concerns about the balanced budget plan, but he believed the committee and the council would defend their decisions and that most of the congregation was firmly behind it. It's about time, he kept thinking to himself as he seated himself at the annual meeting, it's about time these people took responsibility, took up their crosses, started ...

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