Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 826 to 850 of 4884 results

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... would arrive late. He would greet his hostess with some statement like the reason he was late was that he had had to stop and murder his mistress on the way, and so it had delayed him. And the hostess would dutifully murmur assurance that she understood perfectly, that everyone was very busy these days, and he shouldn't let his tardiness disturb him at all. If anyone in the party asked him what he did for a living, he would say something like the fact that he was an executioner for the State Penitentiary ...

827. Why 153 Fish?

John 21:1-14

Illustration

Brett Blair

... the 5th century said that the 100 represented the fullness of the gentiles, the 50 symbolized the remnant of Israel and the three of course was there for the Trinity. Augustine’s theory (5th century) was a little more complicated. He said, there are 10 commandments and 7 is the perfect number of grace and that’s 17 right? Now if you add all the numbers from 1 to 17 together, you know 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 all the way up to 17 you’ll get 153. And not only that but if you were to arrange them with 17 ...

828. Having a Life in His Name

John 20:19-23

Illustration

Ed Jansen

... It lacks only one thing," and then walked away. For days the artist could neither eat nor sleep. He decided to call upon Michelangelo at his studio and ask, "What is this one thing my work lacks? Please, tell me, I must know!" Michelangelo responded, "It is perfect in every detail. Your work is magnificent. It only lacks one thing, life itself!" Now the master could not pay any artist a finer compliment, but the young man knew that without life, the best he could achieve was to convert an ugly mass of stone ...

829. A Community of Love

John 14:15-31

Illustration

Carl Jech

... in which the romance has faded, the honeymoon is over, and the relationship has become a labor of love requiring simple tenacity, "hanging in there." Describing his vision of Christian love at close quarters he said, "We should lose the illusions of perfection ... if we are looking for perfection here, we had better go somewhere else. But no one else has it either. We need to deal with the fact that we are imperfect and yet are in love as community. The community cannot save us from anything and we cannot ...

830. The Role of the Father (Father's Day)

Matthew 7:7-12

Sermon

Brett Blair

... , we know that we make mistakes, we misjudge situations, that we do good things sometimes for wrong reasons. In other words, we are sinners. It is a basic theological component of Christianity and it says to us that none of us are going to parent perfectly. But don’t despair. Go on to see what else it says. Though we are sinners, we still know how to give good gifts to our children. This is speaking, of course, about grace. Even though we are sinners, good things can still come from us. We will make ...

831. Dead or Alive?

Joel 2:28-32

Sermon

... dedication of the young people who fill our theological seminaries. Let us not forget, either, the many pastors and lay persons whose unflinching faithfulness makes vital the life of the church. Such persons are marked, not by perfection but by a sensitive, persistent striving toward perfection. They undertake, in faith, to put aside inadequate values and relate themselves to what is highest and best. Depending on God’s mercy and grace, they strive to follow Christ in the spirit of being God’s ...

832. Cross Purposes

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... , erases the stain for all time. Because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, because of the shedding of his precious blood, God accepts the sinner for Jesus' sake. The sinner stands before God fresh and clean. His filthy rags have been replaced with the perfect robe of righteousness given by Jesus. Now, by the cross man is reunited and reconciled to God. Here is a demonstration of the power of the cross to cleanse. Power to Change The cross has also the power to change. Here again, man probably is not ...

833. Prayer

Matthew 13:44-46

Bulletin Aid

The Kingdom of Heaven! It sounds wonderful! God's presence Perfect peace Total happiness Harmony among all people - What's the catch???? For one thing, I don't know about this "King" business! We fought a war to get rid of one! I believe in ... ! I don't know if even God's kingdom is worth that! Lord, forgive my ego My preoccupation with self As I understand me And help me find my real self in you More perfect More able to live in your presence And your Kingdom. For Jesus' sake Who gained entry for me, Amen

834. A Good Picture of Bad People

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

... And they discovered that they weren’t even very good at slaying. So they turned that job over to the machines, too. And the machines finished up the job in less time than it takes to say, "Tralfamadore." Evil comes in many sizes, shapes and colors and blends so perfectly into life that we sometimes call it good. Jesus wants us to see that and to be forewarned about this power set loose in our world. In this sense, the parable is beautiful. It is a warning from one who loves us and does not want to see us ...

835. The Confessions of a Younger Brother

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

... like if I got some special revelation from God. A visit from a dead brother would elevate me above my doubts, enable me to have perfect faith in my God and create in me a Christ-like love. The rich man is right. That’s what I want - a revelation ... and revelations are all around us; we can’t miss them unless we choose to miss them. William Croswell Doone says it so perfectly in this poem, The Preacher’s Mistake: The Parish Priest of austerity, Climbed up in a high church steeple To be nearer God, So ...

836. Is Repentance Necessary?

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

... ourselves. The only way to freedom, peace and the best that is in us is to draw closer to God. In the final analysis, it is really more of an expression of a genuine love of ourselves that we stop trying to perfect ourselves and accept the unconditional love and acceptance of God. Is repentance then really necessary? It is if you want to be free. It turns us away from our efforts at being our own savior toward the only One who ultimately can save. Repentance, of course, is only a first ...

837. Our Best Example

Luke 2:41-52

Children's Sermon

... us how he talks things over with God we would know that God talks to him. How do we talk to God? Prayer, that's right. [Select one child to take up prayer pose.] Well, that's it. The perfect volunteer would be strong, wise, have other people like him and be trusted by God. Do you know anyone who is that perfect, who has all those things? Did you know that there was once a boy just a few years older than you who was like the volunteer we all want to be? His name was Jesus. When he was 12 ...

838. ADVENT 1

Jeremiah 33:1-26, Luke 21:5-38, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon Aid

... you blameless in holiness? - v. 13 2. Who Can Measure Up? (3:11-13). Need: In Handel's Messiah a recitative asks "Who can endure the day of his coming?" In our language we put it, "Who can measure up for Christ's return?" Think of who is coming - the perfect man Jesus, the glorious Son of God, the judge of all the nations, the savior of the world! The important point is that we cannot measure up by ourselves and our efforts. In the text Paul makes clear that it is God who will make us the kind of people ...

839. Reformation Sunday

Jn 8:31-36 · Rom 3:19-28 · Jer 31:31-34

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... that height. This sermon is needed to show people there is only one way to reach the height of heaven. Outline: How to get to heaven - your options - A. Climb the ladder of the Law - v. 20. It is too high. No one can attain to it. It requires moral perfection by self-effort. B. Be lifted up on the elevator of grace - vv. 24, 25. The elevator is Christ who lifts us up to God without any effort on our part. All we need is faith to get on the elevator. WORSHIP RESOURCES Hymn of the Day: "A Mighty Fortress ...

840. Monday in Holy Week

Isaiah 42:1-9, Hebrews 9:11-28, John 12:1-11

Bulletin Aid

... , when we try to defend ourselves against sin. There is no sacrifice we can make that will atone for our sins. But we come confessing that we are sinners, and we ask you to forgive us. Forgive us for Christ's sake, who offered himself as the one perfect sacrifice for our sins. Share your grace with us in a covenant relationship which will bind us to you in love, even into eternity. We pray in our Savior's name. Amen. Hymns "Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed" "Amazing Grace" "There Is a Fountain" "When I Survey ...

841. Second Lesson

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

... that pleases them; that is the way of the world, not the way of God. Jesus told the disciples, "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them." He did that by his perfect obedience to the law of God, which cost him his life on the cross, and by giving new meaning to the law in his teaching. Those who flaunt God’s law are definitely treading in dangerous territory and, sooner or later, they will pay a price for their transgressions ...

842. Cross Work

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

George Bass

... and humanity. The Word made visible in works of love may be the only thing we can do to change things around in this world intent on destroying itself and all of the people in it. This is the road Christians must travel in life, if they are to be "perfect as their Father in heaven is ...

843. Beyond Good Intentions

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

... ," they say, "What's wrong with her anyway?" Today I want to challenge that way of thinking. I will do it by beginning this sermon by saying: if you never have to change your mind, it is either because you're quite perfect as you are or you are very stupid. I mean it. Perfect, because you have always been right in the first place. Or stupid, because you are going to live with the consequences of a wrong decision no matter how miserable you are. Those are horns of a dilemma illustrating that there are times ...

844. Don't Go Near The Water

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

... , interpret, question, negotiate over. "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness." "Whatever you wish men would do to you, do so to them." "You cannot serve God and money." "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." I hear difficult words like these and I want to say, "Hold on a minute, not so fast! Are you sure about what you're saying? There isn't much proof that you are right, that what you command is the way to ...

845. Communion Is Real Presence

John 1:1-18

Sermon

... worked in the fields and ate at the tables of his peasant people. All of that was done by King Charles in an attempt to better understand and more fully identify with the people of his kingdom. But what he did partially and imperfectly, God did completely and perfectly. In Jesus Christ, God became human and lived on this earth. He did not come to learn more about us and to identify with us. He came to help us know and identify with Him. We read about the glorious incarnation in the Gospel of John. The first ...

846. Communion Is Remembering

Luke 22:7-38

Sermon

... eternal importance took place, and we must never forget that. In Jesus, our wondrous God came to earth and lived in perfect obedience to his own will and Law. Christ lived in complete harmony and fellowship with God. He identified fully with humanity ... priest) who has been tempted in every way that we have been tempted, yet he did not sin." Since Jesus did not sin, but lived in perfect obedience to the will of God, he did not deserve to die. For we read in Romans 6:23 that "the wages of sin is death." Since ...

847. The Love God Wants

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

... of those whom he manipulated. In dramatic contrast, Jesus was the personification of the very thing he commanded. Thus, persons who are in Christ, those in whom Christ’s Spirit dwells, are delivered from their own inability to love completely by the One who was Perfect Love. Life is complicated, and following Jesus is not a simple matter. But following him is still fundamentally the same as it has always been. It is a matter of returning again and again to what is truly important to living. It is a matter ...

848. When the Poor Become Rich

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

... result of some of the conditions we set. Ask yourself what it is that would make you truly happy or even happier than you are now. A better paying job? A bigger house? Being more loved or needed? Having a family life as perfect as the Huxtables on the Cosby Show? A second home? The perfect husband or wife? Two kids and a station wagon with a sheep dog in the back? What would it take? There is no end to the conditions we may think are essential, and these conditions can become the terms on which we either ...

849. Compassion

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... a condominium by himself. He is on drugs. He got in over his head and washed out of college. His parents never know where he is or who his friends are. So his mother had conjectured a possible scenario. "Hal," she said, "Do you think I could find a 'Mr. Perfect' somewhere and hire him to go live with my son, show him the ropes, let him go to college with him, and help him plan out some choices in life?" The thought shocked me. "Hal," she continued, "you've got your life together. Who was your mentor? Can't ...

850. Gratitude and Praise Holy Is the Lord

Isaiah 66:1-24

Bulletin Aid

... justice. Congregation: Come, gather the nations and tongues that we may see your glory. Leader: Jesus, you are God on earth, majesty in flesh, forgiveness for man. Congregation: Come, gather the nations and tongues that we may see your glory. Leader: Holy Spirit, you are perfect communication, harmony in action and unity in the church. Congregation: Come, gather the nations and tongues that we may see your glory. All: Holy, holy is the trinity. All power, all majesty, all dominion are due the triune God.

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