Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 851 to 875 of 1354 results

851. Leaders Worthy of Imitation

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... that salvation comes by faith alone through the grace of God. Pastors and church leaders have always needed a healthy dose of ego strength if they are to survive in ministry. They face opposition from within the church as frequently as from outside. Paul defends himself, Silas, and Timothy, his mission team against the criticism that they are just part of the usual "in-it-for-the-money" teachers who are moving from town to town during this period of time. The criticism against Paul is that there is ...

852. A Winning Life

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... He explained, “If I come from the position of what is right and what is wrong, then I’m not their counselor.” What kind of counselor is that? Some years ago, Dennis Prager made a documentary, For Goodness Sake! In this film he showed a mother defending her son’s cheating in school. “It’s very competitive out there,” she contended, “and, if he doesn’t cheat, he won’t get in to good schools; everybody else does it.” The documentary cuts to a scene of this same woman being wheeled into ...

853. If You’re Angry

Matthew 18:15-20

Children's Sermon

Marti Kramer Suddarth

... hurt my feelings? What if he didn’t even do the thing that I think he did? If I talk about him behind his back, instead of giving Ignatz a chance to apologize or to explain, I’m putting him in a place where he feels that he has to defend himself and “save face.” I’m angry, Ignatz is angry, and that just makes both of us even more angry. The situation will probably get worse. Do you think that’s what Jesus wants? In Matthew 18:15, Jesus tells us what we should do if we are angry with ...

854. Help Me, I'm Lost

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... lives. She made a mistake, however, when she spread the word that George, a new member, was an alcoholic after she saw his pickup truck parked in front of the town’s only bar one afternoon. George, a man of few words, didn’t explain, defend, or deny; he said nothing. Later that evening, George quietly parked his pickup in front of Mildred’s house . . . and left it there all night! (2) No, Jesus certainly doesn’t need any more smug, self-righteous followers looking down on others. That was the ...

855. LENT: The Passion of Christ: "Betrayed"

John 13:21-30; Matthew 26:14-16; 45-50

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . I stood there, bitter and angry and alienated as my Dad, watched me lie and confess to something I didn't do. I can't tell you how betrayed I felt. That's not the way Dad's were supposed to act. Dad's were supposed to believe you and defend you, no matter what, right. It took me years to get over that. It took me years to let go. It took Christ in my life to get me to forgive my Dad. Being betrayed by someone you love and trust is one of the worst experiences of life. B ...

856. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the faithful had been led: Paul’s final concern was for promoting the truth of the gospel and keeping Jesus’ disciples gathered into a loving faith community. Perhaps the most powerful, persuasive point of Paul’s message? After he defends his teachings and clarifies good eschatological theology, he closes with nothing more than a prayer for “comfort in your hearts.” Paul prays that “God our Father” will “strengthen” the Thessalonian Christians in “every good work and deed.” The proof ...

857. More Than A Kumbaya King

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to her village and provide the proper royal burial. She also was faced with renovating a very run-down royal palace. King Peggy also confronted opposition because she was a woman, and because she was an outsider. This was not the way “things had always been done.” When defending the legitimacy of her election, King Peggy held up her communities own rules to her dissenters: “I’m in the State, I’m a woman, and in the rituals with the ancestors you chose me in the name of God, so shut up and sit down ...

858. A Higher Value than Freedom

Matthew 3:13-17

Illustration

Johnny Dean

If there's one thing we Americans value above everything else, it is freedom. We cherish, guard and exercise our freedom, and woe be unto those who threaten it in any way. We're even willing to go to war to defend freedom, whether it's ours or someone else's. We are the world's self-appointed watchdogs of freedom. But Jesus says there's a higher value than freedom. The first words the writer of the Gospel of Matthew has Jesus speak are not about freedom, but about obedience to ...

859. The Good News Never Conflicts with Truth

Illustration

Bob Ward

... ? Don't they know that truth is from God wherever it may be found? The notable church father Justin Martyr settled the matter once and for all when he wrote, "Whatever has been uttered aright by any [person] in any place belongs to us Christians." Christian faith does not need defenders, for it is never in conflict with truth.

860. Going the Second Mile

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

James Merritt

... ?" He said, "Yes, I do, very much." Coach Wooden looked at him and said, "Bill, I have great respect for individuals who stand up for those things in which they believe. I really do. If you believe that is your right, I would die for your right to defend that right." Bill Walton said, "Thank you, Coach." Then Wooden said, "I just want you to know the team is really going to miss you." We've all heard the expression, "Do your duty." Well, the Lord Jesus once again tells us something that no human would have ...

861. God's Work of Art

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

Mickey Anders

Well-intentioned people often take on the role of God's defense attorney. Sometimes when bad things happen to us they "defend" God by telling us that the ways of God are mysterious, and we do not understand them. That which seems to be a bad thing - a child who is born blind - is really a beautiful thing. We should give thanks for the blindness or tragedy. It is all God's ...

862. An Invitation to Tired Souls

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... office and asked how long it would take to have a passport issued. The clerk told her that she would have to take the loyalty oath first. “Raise your right hand, please,” he said. The lady did as she was told. “Do you swear to defend the Constitution of the United States against all its enemies, domestic or foreign?” was the first question. Her face paled and her voice trembled as she asked in a very small voice, “Uhhh . . . all by myself?” (1) Well, that would be a big responsibility for ...

863. Answering Criticism

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Illustration

Kent Moorehead

... view him. Had I lived back in his day, I hate to think how I might have misjudged him, considered him merely a disturber, a revolutionary, at very least a subversive influence. Who knows, I might have been just such a smug, ecclesiastically conditioned defender of the status quo as old Caiaphas himself. Seeing the upstart peasant stirring up the people, and hearing of his traitorous threats to destroy the Temple, I might have taken the same attitude he did. Believing that something had to be done to thwart ...

864. Why Are You Acting Like Orphans?

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... solely To preserve them pure and holy. Lo, their very hairs He numbers, And no daily care encumbers Them that share His ev’ry blessing And His help in woes distressing. Praise the Lord in joyful numbers: Your Protector never slumbers. At the will of your Defender Ev’ry foe-man must surrender. [Alternate Ending - In case you want to go a little longer in your sermon and say something about the Casey Anthony trial, here is something you might consider:] Just as we fail to act as “children of God” and ...

865. The Family Album

1 John 3:1-7

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... s annual St. Patrick's Day parade. But in his homily one Sunday when a Gay Pride Parade was to pass in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral, he warned the congregation, "Please do not believe for a moment that you would be defending the church or advancing church teachings by expressions of hatred." O'Conner campaigned against the death penalty. He was a prominent advocate for disabled people and those living in poverty. He personally intervened to help settle industrial disputes by pressing for workers' rights ...

866. My Shepherd

Psalm 23:1

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... was my companion. "I fear no evil; for you are with me." Once I remembered that, I was able to be confident in the face of adversity. Why? "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me." The rod was a gnarled club the shepherd used as a weapon to defend against desert marauders, both animal and human. The staff was the crook that could be used to rescue one who had fallen from the path. Yes, it is a comfort to know that your protector has the tools at his disposal to do the protecting. My shepherd has done ...

867. Never, Never, Never, NEVER GIVE UP!

2 Corinthians 4:5-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the House of Commons on June 4, 1940, he thundered, ... we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seasand oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a ...

868. The God Who Is Always There

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Irony of ironies - it was Mordecai. As for the decree about killing the Jews on the thirteenth of Adar, that could not be changed - a royal decree is irrevocable ... even by the royal who decreed it. But a second decree was issued allowing Jews to defend themselves against any attack. Who would want to mess with that? That was enough to prevent the holocaust. To this day, the Jewish people remember the treachery of Haman, the wisdom of Mordecai, and the bravery of Esther in the annual joyful celebration of ...

869. Christmas In the Crossfire

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... another concern: commercialism. And, we have been battling that ever since with a notable lackof success and to the great relief of the nation's retailers who do their best business of the year just prior to Christmas. These days, the "defenders" of Christmas are not just tolerating commercialization — they are insisting upon it. Shop at the places that will wish you, "Merry Christmas," not just, "Happy Holidays." Enough already! Christmas is just getting caught in the political crossfire. We are living ...

870. Fred and Barney

John 10:11-18

Sermon

John Smylie

... about each member of the flock. The owner is willing to risk his own life for the sheep he serves and in our Lord's case the owner gives his own life for the sheep he loves. The hired hand runs from the wolf, while the good shepherd stays to defend the flock. Who is the wolf? Ultimately, the wolf is the devil and all of the tools of the devil that come to steal life. The wolf is the one whose intention is to kill and to destroy. Our Lord's death upon the cross was not only so we ...

871. God’s Anthills

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... that are ten times heavier than their bodies. That means if I were an ant, I could lift over 1,000 pounds. Some ants can lift things fifty times heavier than themselves! Ants are assigned different jobs within the colony. Some care for the queen, some repair and defend the nest, some care for the young, and others gather food. A lot of ants are assigned to the food detail. That's when I decided to check the Bible on ants. The only two places in the Bible where ants are mentioned are in Proverbs where the ...

872. The Fred Factor

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... through him" (Colossians 3:17). This means whatever you do, do it well as if you are serving Jesus himself. Or, let me put it another way. You don't have to be a doctor snatching people from the jaws of death. You don't have to be a lawyer defending the innocent and bringing to justice the guilty. You don't have to be a pastor preaching every Sunday to be a blessing. You can deliver the mail. You can dig ditches. You can provide the customer with a great product at a fair price. You can manage people with ...

873. Integrity: Words with Meaning

2 Corinthians 1:18-22

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... secretary. It was from the president's assistant and read, "Send this guy the roach letter!" Meaningless words. Every day we need to sift through the muck and mire of empty words to find some real substance, integrity, and truth. Faced with this same uncertainty, Paul had to defend his decisions in 2 Corinthians 1 by claiming that he was a man of his word because of the integrity found in being a follower of Jesus. I have a friend named Susie who told me the story of growing up as a pastor's child. While ...

874. Who Will Vouch for Me?

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... ? I am. And if this is true, then who will vouch for me? Years ago, Notre Dame dominated national college football. The team was led by coach Knute Rockne, known as the Rock, perhaps the most inspirational football coach of all time. In a game defending its title, Notre Dame kicked off to Carnegie Tech who proved to sustain an unstoppable drive. Six yards, ten yards, five yards. Notre Dame was caught backpedaling against the highly spirited Tech team. But one thing Notre Dame had on its side, or rather its ...

875. How Do We Make Sense of This?

Romans 8:35-39, Hebrews 10:1-39

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... . Jesus' life on this earth ended the way it had to. It was consistent with the way he lived his life. He was about love and compassion to the nth degree. When his enemies came after him, he couldn't run. When they took him to trial, he couldn't defend himself. When they nailed him to a cross, he couldn't call up his troops and defeat them. He could only do what he was sent to do — love. And so, they killed him. What they didn't realize was that even though they were the ones who would go ...

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