Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 826 to 850 of 4914 results

826. Falling Into Faith

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Woody Allen once quipped, “If there is a God, he is the ultimate under-achiever.” This statement is a stinging indictment, especially for those who have high expectations of God. Some may even find it offensive. It is unthinkable that God would want to do less than the very best for the world. However, these deflating words are not too distant from the attitude of Abraham at the beginning of Genesis 15. Abraham has waited expectantly for the child that God has promised him and anticipated the joy of a son ...

827. Job's Third Reply to Eliphaz

Job 23:1--24:25

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

Taking God to Court 23:1 One can hardly call Job’s words in chapters 23 and 24 a response to Eliphaz’s third speech. Job takes no notice of his friend or his argument, but he begins instead to consider the feasibility and benefit of bringing God to court so he might hope to find just resolution to his complaint. In chapter 23 Job reflects, at first confidently but ultimately with increasing terror, on the difficulty of locating God and securing his presence for the legal proceedings. 23:2 Job says, my ...

828. The Healing Tree

Revelation 22:1-6, Luke 8:1-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” --Ezekiel 47:12 “The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will ...

829. “The King Rejoices in Your Strength, Lord”

Psalm 21:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: God’s overpowering strength plus his overpowering love not only saves us but provides a life of joy. Understanding the Text This psalm belongs to the broad genre of royal psalms. Like Psalm 20, Craigie calls it a royal liturgy,[1] which suggests that it was used in worship. It is as if we are standing outside the temple and hearing the voices of worship, and we have a vague idea of what is going on inside the building as we try to picture the action in our mind’s eye. The question that the form ...

830. It's Worth the Wait

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

There are certain human experiences that are universally annoying, but everyone has to experience them at some time. Like waiting in lines. And in our rushed and privileged society, it seems like we have less and less capacity for waiting. A woman tells of trying to get a table at a very popular and very busy restaurant. She approached the hostess and asked quite brusquely, “Will it be long?” The hostess kept writing in her hostess book, so the woman leaned closer and asked again a little more firmly, “ ...

831. Fear of the Light

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

From the time man invented fire, we have been both fascinated and afraid of this powerful force. Fire is power, raw, uncontrolled power. And most humans spend the bulk of their lives in a battle to control or obtain power. Whether social power or personal power, we feel our best when we feel in control –of our lives, our surroundings, our relationships, and our world. This is the story of Babel, and it has never gotten old. So, when we contemplate the Light coming into the world during this Advent season, ...

832. A Colt Is Not A Horse

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

[While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] Original Title: "A Colt Is Not a Horse” New Title: Palm “Slash” Passion Sunday The well-known Christian Writer Philip Yancey grew up in a fundamentalist church which didn't observe the major events of ...

833. The Best Advertising of All

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Daniel G. Mueller

One of the biggest industries in the United States today is the production of advertising. Billboards, signs on benches, magazines, newspapers, placards on the sides of buses, messages on the insides of match books, "junk" mail, computer phone calls, radio and, of course, television, all seek to commercial-ize us, to sell us something. Commercials make a host of promises. We’re told that if we just use what they sell, people will notice us; we’ll be healthier, happier, sexier; smell better; look better; ...

834. Expect the Unexpected

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

I’m not going to ask how many of you read your daily astrological forecast. If so, I hope you do it only for recreational purposes. Anyone who takes such forecasts seriously is at risk of making some foolish, foolish decisions. French king Louis XI was a devout believer in astrology. He was deeply impressed when an astrologer foretold that a lady of his court would die in eight days’ time . . . and she did! Unfortunately for the astrologer, however, King Louis decided that it was too uncomfortable to have ...

835. Does Easter Make a Difference?

Acts 4:32-35

Sermon

Ron Lavin

A bully in a small town resented the man everyone looked up to as the wisest man in town. He decided to teach the wise man a lesson. He held a chicken behind his back and asked the wise man, "Is this chicken dead or alive?" Of course, if the wise man said, "Dead" the bully would show him a live chicken. If the wise man said, "Alive" the bully would strangle the chicken and show up the wise man by producing a dead chicken. "Well," said the impatient bully, "Is the chicken dead or alive? Let's hear your ...

836. A Scream And A Laugh

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

"My name is Asher Lev, the Asher Lev, about whom you have read in newspapers and magazines, about whom you talk so much at your dinner affairs and cocktail parties. The notorious and legendary Lev of the Brooklyn crucifixion." With those words, Chaim Potack begins his novel entitled My Name is Asher Lev. It's about a young boy whose extraordinary talent leads him away from his family and his faith into a painful maturity and a perilous success. Asher Lev longs to be a painter, and he pursues this longing ...

837. Easter 5

John 14:5-14, John 14:1-4, 1 Peter 2:4-12, Acts 7:54--8:1a, Psalm 31:1-24

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

TEXTS FROM ACTS AND PSALMS The lesson from Acts tells of the stoning of Stephen. The psalm has no actual connection with Stephen's speech or the account of his execution, but in the story of his death Stephen prays. Psalm 31 is itself a prayer-song for deliverance from one's enemies in which the psalmist utters a line (31:5) similar to Stephen's first prayer (7:59), so there is an imaginative way to relate the texts to each other. Acts 7:55-60 - "Living and Dying as Jesus Did" Setting. The pattern of story ...

838. Proper 8

Matthew 10:1-42, Romans 6:15-23, Psalm 13:1-6, Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Old Testament texts for this Sunday are about divine testing. Genesis 22:1-14 is the story of how God tested Abraham in commanding the sacrifice of Isaac, while Psalm 13 is a lament that provides liturgical language for how we approach God during times of testing. Genesis 22:1-14 - "To Fear God Is to See God" Setting. The story of Genesis 22 is sinister. God's command for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in the opening verse is outrageous, and, even though the narrative progresses to a ...

839. Pentecost

Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 104:1-35, Acts 2:1-13, Acts 2:14-41, John 15:18--16:4, John 16:5-16

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Ezekiel 37:1-14 Ezekiel is a prophet to the exiles in Babylon. This Lesson comes from the section of the book that predicts a restoration of Jerusalem and its temple. He sees the Hebrews in exile as dead in hope because they are separated from the holy city and temple. God commands Ezekiel to preach to the dead bones and the Spirit brings life to the bodies and then the Spirit to the bodies. Through the preached Word, the Spirit of God brings new life and hope to a defeated, ...

840. Putting Ourselves into the Picture

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A doctor and his nurse responded to the anguished plea of a farmer, who was calling the doctor to attend to his wife who was desperately ill. The doctor with his ever-present black bag along with his nurse, were ushered upstairs to the bedroom where the woman was. The farmer stayed with his family in the parlor downstairs. After a few minutes, the doctor came down the stairs with a kind of troubled look on his face and asked for a screwdriver. After some time had passed, the nurse came down the stairway ...

841. Jesus’s Identity as Messiah and Son of God Established

Mark 1:1-8

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: The good news centers on Jesus the Messiah, who shows himself to be the Son of God by inaugurating God’s kingdom age. He is declared as such first by Old Testament prophecy and then by the wilderness voice, his forerunner John the Baptist. Understanding the Text This passage is the “prologue” to Mark (cf. John 1:1–18), and the purpose is to inform the reader about the primary truths in the book, especially the identification of Jesus. In the rest of the book we will see the primary groups ( ...

842. The Coming Judgment Calls for the Saints to Leave Babylon

Revelation 18:1-24

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Because God will condemn Babylon for its demonic character, prideful self-indulgence, and adulterous influence, God’s people are called to separate from Babylon, lest they too suffer judgment. Understanding the Text The destruction of Babylon the Great continues (17:1–19:5). The angel’s promise to reveal the punishment of the prostitute in 17:1 is expanded in chapter 18 (cf. earlier allusions in 14:8; 16:19; 17:16), especially as it relates to her economic downfall. Babylon’s coming judgment ...

843. The Mighty Mustard Seed

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

King Duncan

I have a question for our retirees this morning. Did you pick up any new hobbies when you retired from your job? Most people I know say they are busier in retirement than they were in their working years, so taking up a new hobby may be difficult. So, let me ask our non-retirees, what hobby do you hope to adopt in your retirement years? I ask this because I was inspired by reading about a retired Canadian man named Young S. New. New picked up an interesting new hobby when he retired. His new hobby was ...

844. The Rebirth

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Ron Lavin

The story of Nicodemus is fascinating and intriguing. Nicodemus came to Jesus secretly by night, probably because he didn't want anyone to see him. He came to Jesus with a compliment. He said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him" (John 3:2), thinking that Jesus, like most people, would be impressed by a compliment. He came wanting to discuss theology, assuming that Jesus would be interested in a ...

845. Epiphany 4

1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Deuteronomy 18:14-22, Mark 1:21-28

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Divine authority. Deuteronomy has Moses predicting that God will send a prophet like him, who will rule with authority. The Gospel features Jesus acting with authority by casting out demons. In the Second Lesson Paul reminds us that our actions must be governed by love's authority. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 The book of Deuteronomy reinterprets the laws of Moses for a new generation. It comes in the form of addresses by Moses as the Israelites are about to enter the promised land ...

846. Illusion Or Reality?

Sermon

Harold Warlick

Back in the mid 1970s to early 1980s hypnosis was viewed as a major cure for many of society's ills. If you had a problem with being overweight, smoking cigarettes, drinking too much, or being a juvenile delinquent, many professional hypnotists would, for a hefty fee, offer their services to hypnotize your problems away. The church I pastored in Texas at the time contained among its members some overweight women with a passion for improving their bodies. These women had apparently tried everything they ...

847. Let Christ Speak The Word

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Let us pray: Gracious and eternal God, today we come to you seeking to deepen our understanding of the ways in which you are present and working in our lives to heal us of our afflictions. May we in these moments receive the gift of wisdom. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. You may be familiar with the life story of Thomas Dooley, the Christian military doctor who devoted his life to serving sick and dying people living in Vietnam and Laos in the 1950s. When he died of cancer in 1961, the world considered his ...

848. Salvation as Hope

Romans 13:8-14, 1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11, 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Sermon Aid

T. A. Kantonen

Salvation is the fundamental concept of Paul’s theology but salvation, even as present experience, can be understood only when it is viewed in an eschotological perspective. Paul’s doctrine of man derives its dimension of depth from his eschatology. To interpret human experience in mere psychological terms is superficial. Man is flesh and spirit but these are cosmic powers. Corresponding to them are the antitheses: grace versus law, spirit versus letter, new covenant versus old covenant, freedom versus ...

849. Living Deliberately

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Our scripture lesson is taken from the 10th chapter of the Gospel of John, beginning with the 7th and reading through the 18th verses. I’m reading from the Revised Standard Version. This is the word of the Lord. “So Jesus again said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not heed them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and ...

850. Lent 4

Jn 9:1-41 · Eph 5:8-14 · Ps 23 · 1 Sam 16:1-13

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Old Testament texts explore what it means to be anointed by God. I Samuel 16:1-13 is the account of the anointing of David by Samuel and Psalm 23 is a prayer song in which the worshiper who has experienced threatening events also experiences the security of God through anointing. I Samuel 16:1-13 highlights the risks that accompany the anointing of God, while Psalm 23 outlines the unique security that God offers each of us. 1 Samuel 16:1-13 - "The Risk of Anointing" Setting. I ...

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