Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 826 to 850 of 1285 results

826. Trouble Makers

Luke 12:49-53

Illustration

Brett Blair

... . Applecart shakers. Men who muddied the water just like Jesus. Heroes of the faith, we now call the, because they were not afraid of division. They knew Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword. In other words: Truth. God's truth is like that. It is a double edged sword. What sounds like peace, the peace that Christ gives, really isn't peace as the world would have it. It is peace as God would have it. And what kind of peace is it that God wants? He wants the peace that exist between you and Him when ...

827. Ecological Politics

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... to harm the deeps one whit. They would rise again and again to challenge others who dared to test their uneasy face. Dangerous Waves In Galilee Like the disciples of Jesus, out that lonely night on the Sea of Galilee, the storm that rose was a double whammy for them. Only hours before they had been front and center in another of Jesus' amazing magical acts. The crowds had followed this young rabbi out into the wild places where he was wandering, just to listen and look for miracles. He certainly gave them ...

828. Putting the Genie Back in the Bottle…

Genesis 2:15-17, Genesis 3:1-7

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... Whether it was the fruit, the serpent, Eve, or even hapless Adam, it doesn't much matter. We have been given the knowledge of good and evil, right and wrong. God stands with us today calling us to choose the good and the right. God walks with us today, double daring us to risk it all if need be to stand for what is just and right. It is as the writer puts it in Deuteronomy. "I have set before you life and death, blessing and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live ..." (Deuteronomy 30 ...

829. A Man of the Moment

Genesis 25:19-34

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... more thing that sets them apart: the issue of primogeniture. That is the principle practiced in their society whereby the firstborn son — Esau in this case — is the one designated to take over leadership of the family clan when the father dies and also to receive a double portion of the inheritance. That is his birthright. It was a big deal in the ancient world. Then comes the incident in today's reading. Esau has been out on a hunting trip and when he comes home, he is really hungry. In fact, he is so ...

830. A Match Made in Heaven

Genesis 29:15-28

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... life. Jacob asked Laban to give him Rachel in marriage. The conversation, as we have it recorded for us in our scripture reading, was initiated by Laban. "Because you are my kinsman," he said to Jacob, "should you therefore serve me for nothing?" The reader does a double take. What did I miss? It seems that Jacob — Laban's nephew and guest — has been working for his uncle, and not even working for pay. Somehow or other, out of the goodness of Jacob's heart (which seems hard to believe), or out of some ...

831. God’s Providence: The Long and Short of It

Genesis 45:1-15

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... and try to seduce him. And on this particular occasion, she was more insistent than usual. The Bible recommends that we flee from temptation, and that is precisely what Joseph did. He did not hang around to indulge the flirtation, engage in witty repartee, or toy with double entendres. He did not go toe-to-toe with temptation; he ran away from it. As he sought to escape, she caught hold of his cloak and held on tight. Determined to get away, Joseph slipped out of that outer garment, leaving it behind in her ...

832. Are We There Yet?

James 5:7-10

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. (James 1:2) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded ... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:7-8, 10) So what we are about now, our growth in Christlikeness, the fruit which is growing, is important. But if the farmer had no hope for the rains, all the plowing ...

833. Set Apart at Christmas

Romans 1:1-7

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... , not too old to recall worries that the central message of Christmas was being overshadowed by commercialism and consumerism. The truth is, I am not sure whether Baby Jesus was much on my mind the Christmas right after I turned six, but that Lionel HO gauge double-diesel locomotive electric train with realistic horn was on my mind quite a bit. I am happy to report that, like Ralphie's Red Ryder BB gun, the train was there on Christmas morning. (I am also happy to report that unlike the Parkers in that ...

834. Not What You Expected

Hebrews 2:10-18

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... so supremely demonstrates the humanity of Jesus, it is obedience rather than fear that is shown: "Not my will, but yours be done." It was dedication to his loving parent, Abba, not fear of punishment that was his motivation. So what is going on here? Is this all double talk? No, this text is reminding us of these two important poles: the end, which effects how, we live our lives here and now and how we live our lives here and now, which affects the end. We, like Jesus, are both mortal and immortal and the ...

835. Surprises

1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

Sermon

David O. Bales

... stranger in the US to serve as the first leg of a giant circle of money transfers. "So, if you'll just send $10,000 to this bank account in Switzerland, our wonderful missionary work will be unhindered, and we'd be so grateful that we'll pay you back double when we finally get access to our money." The letters used to arrive by mail, then by fax, now by email. Greedy people still give in to such temptations, even to the extent of stealing somebody else's money to send away for this sure thing. By greed or ...

836. How Beautiful the Feet

Romans 10:5-15

Sermon

Larry Lange

... law demanded the cleaning staff keep sterile. But when they saw the big man in the sweaty T-shirt kneeling there at the bedside of his wife, holding her little white hand as if it were the hand of his dying daughter, they dropped their hostilities for him, forgave him, doubled their efforts to keep his wife's room as clean as a holy place - which is what it had become. Amen.

837. Increasing Our Standard of Giving - Sermon Starter

Luke 16:1-15

Illustration

Brett Blair

... Methodist Church he was a teacher at Oxford University back in the 1700's. When he began his career he was paid 30 pounds per year - in those days a lot of money. His living expenses were 28 pounds - so he gave 2 pounds away. The next year his income doubled - but he still managed to live on 28 pounds - so he gave away 32 pounds. The third year he earned 90 pounds - lived on 28 - and gave away 62. The fourth year he earned 120 pounds - lived on 28 - and gave away 92. One year his income was a little ...

838. Called To Freedom

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... or turn around; to go in the opposite direction. For us it means to change our way of life to God's way of life. The person who sins and seeks forgiveness without any intent of changing is like the person on a diet who orders a double fudge chocolate sundae but tells them to hold the whipped cream because it's too fattening. They're only fooling themselves. II. The Paradox Though it sounds paradoxical, true freedom comes only through surrender. For an athlete or a dancer it is surrender to the physical ...

839. The Burning Question

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... about the tornado warning but no one was listening. Finally, right about 7:00 pm, Mom had the tomato soup and sandwiches ready and we sat down to eat. That was when my Dad, through the dining room picture window, noticed the tall evergreen bushes bending nearly double. I remember him saying: "Shirley, would you look at that. The wind has really picked up." And then he went back to eating. Finally, I was able to say, "Dad, there's a tornado warning. That's why those trees are bending like that. That's why ...

840. LENT: The Passion of Christ: "Tempted"

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There was a young man named Fred, from the mountains of eastern Tennessee. He was the poster child for lazy and no-good. When he was called up for duty in the Army during the Vietnam War, Fred had high hopes that he would be exempted because of he had double vision. The doctor said, "See that chart on the wall over there?" "Not very well, Doc. It's all blurry," said Fred. "You've passed," said the doctor. Fred protested, "What do you mean I passed? How can I pass when I told you it's all blurry?" And the ...

841. Wedding Bell Blues

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... grabbed on. She was there through whole service. All the way up to benediction. And then she shot down the aisle like a rocket. And right as she got to that pile of rose petals, she let go with a mighty kick and a loud giggle and then doubled her speed, hitting the doors like John Wayne going through the saloon doors in an old western. Try keeping your composure during something like that. Today we look at the first of 35 miracles which John calls signs: events that point to the divinity of Jesus. Wonders ...

842. On Your Mark, Get Set . . .

Mark 13:1-8, 32-33

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... they began working on the movie Ben Hur, DeMille talked to Charlton Heston, the star of the movie, about the all important chariot race at the end. He decided Heston should actually learn to drive the chariot himself, rather than just using a stunt double. Heston agreed to take chariot-driving lessons to make the movie as authentic as possible. Learning to drive a chariot with horses four abreast, however, was no small matter. After extensive work and days of practice, Heston returned to the movie set and ...

843. What'll You Have?

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... he has no real authority in our lives. If we say he is just one of the prophets, then his words do have SOME authority because we know that prophets are from God. But prophets always seemed to speak in allegories and have all kinds of hidden meanings and double entendres. Their messages never seemed that urgent. It was good moral teaching but it just didn't have enough urgency about it for us to really pay attention and act upon it. If we say he is Elijah, well then there is some very real authority in his ...

844. Acquired Taste

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Some of you here this morning remember when “TV dinners” were fast food. Those were the days . . . when Sara Lee sold frozen baked goods to families with the double negative promise “Nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee.” They were right. What wasn’t to like? Sweet treats like cheesecake and pies and cakes–-even frozen cubes of white dough that magically morphed in the oven into hot cubes of white bread. Check out any freezer case in the supermarket ...

845. WWE Raw, Jesus Style

Luke 6:17-26, Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... knowledge of saints. We need to celebrate All Saint’s Day. Have you ever noticed that on every other street corner almost, there is some kind of athletic center? Have you also noticed that late at night, just when you’ve settled down with a bowl of Double Chocolate Rocky Road ice cream, the TV assaults you with gizmos and gadgets that promise to work off that dairy delight and get you back into shape? As a nation we are getting more and more obese. 38 states now have adult obesity rates above 25%. In ...

846. Counting Our Spiritual Blessings

John 6:25-59

Sermon

King Duncan

... families owned one car and saved for a second. In 2000, nearly 1 in 5 families owned three cars or more. . . . Americans shell out more for garbage bags than 90 of the world’s 210 countries spend for everything. Indeed, America has double the number of shopping malls as it does high schools. “In 1900 the average person living in the United States wanted seventy-two different things and considered eighteen of them essential. Today the average person wants five hundred things and considers one hundred ...

847. Matthew 5:38-48

Matthew 5:38-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... right cheek,” if done by a right handed person, would mean a back-handed slap. This was the most insulting, “shaming” kind of slap that could be dished out. Any fine or retribution levied on a straight-forward slap could be doubled for such a back-handed insult. Jesus’ demand, however, is startling. He first announces, “Do not resist an evildoer.” This denied his listeners any possible qualifications for meeting the violence of an evildoer with defensive violence. Instead of resisting, instead ...

848. When to Take the Shirt off Your Back

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ’s most important piece of clothing, their “cloak.” Less substantial garments could be held as collateral. But a person’s cloak was considered to be in a category by itself. A cloak offered warmth and protection. It provided modesty, shielding nakedness. A cloak doubled as clothing and shelter, functioning as haberdashery by day and as a bedroll by night. You could take a lot in payment for debts, but you could not take the cloak off someone’s back. But a cloak could always be OFFERED. Sir Walter ...

849. Loving Deeply (Mother's Day)

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

Sermon

King Duncan

... do on this Mother’s Day, 2011 is take our Moms for granted. I’ve cited it before, but the best example I know of that is the Mother’s Day card that reads like this: “Forget the housework, Mom. It’s your day. Besides, you can always do double duty and catch up on Monday!” (2) I suspect some of you Moms can relate to that. Since this is Mother’s Day, I want to draw your attention to our lesson from the Epistle, particularly the twenty-second verse, where we read these words, “Now that you have ...

850. John 10:1-10

John 10:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... (on the part of the Pharisees who reject Jesus and challenge his works). In the continuum of this section, today’s gospel reading offers the shift from the blind man’s experience to a thinly veiled discussion of the blindness of the Pharisees. The “double amen,” “very truly I tell you” (RSV. v.1), obviously links 10:1 to the preceding section. This phrase is Jesus’ tell‑tale “sit‑up‑and‑listen” reminder and is usually issued in the midst of a dialogue, not as a new beginning to ...

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