Sermon and Worship Resources

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Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

George Bass

... but printed - very nicely - "Heaven is spending all my time with Jesus!" And one boy, influenced by the television commercial of an insurance company, drew an escalator - with Jesus standing at the top of it. One person had gone even farther in depicting her version of the altar painting in that church - Christ in Glory, seated on a throne in the heavens, surrounded by the busts of seven angels. She had Christ standing on his feet - as Stephen saw him - with full-sized angels around him - and she put ...

852. Telling the Right Story

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

George Bass

... demand to speak to all sorts of groups, clubs, and churches about his experiences in football and television. His popularity continues to grow in this newer phase of his life. Saint Mark must have been known in parts of the ancient church long before he wrote his version of the gospel. Paul’s letter to Timothy not only mentioned him but cast him in the role of one of Paul’s assistants. Just what he did and how he was "useful" to Saint Paul cannot be determined. He must have been something of a "bench ...

853. Call Him a Story Teller

Luke 1:1-4

Sermon

George Bass

... the wonderful story of Jesus Christ and the beginnings of the church that bears his name. He told an extraordinary story - the gospel of our Lord and he did it so marvelously that his feast day is worthy of celebration by every person who has read or heard his version of the tale about the Christ. Luke’s Self-Portrait Among the old and ancient paintings of the city of Rome is one that is supposed to be a self-portrait of Luke, but he paints a better picture of himself at the beginning of his Gospel. What ...

854. He Bore Our Sins

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... of a massive oak cross. From his right ankle dragged a clanking, thirty-one-pound chain ... He grunted and puffed as he bore the cross along a one and a half mile route ... struggled painfully up flights of ancient granite stairs enroute to the Corsican version of Calvary. Meanwhile, the villagers and tourists - 15,000 of them last year - gathered along the route to mock and jeer. No, this was not a drama or passion play. The hooded figure was that of a conscience-stricken French sinner whose identity was ...

855. What Does It Mean To "Believe"?

Romans 4:1-25

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... translation of Acts 16:31 - the response to the Philippian jailer who asks, "What must I do to be saved?" - is in the New English Bible: "Put your trust in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." Again and again, instead of the King James Version "believe," it is more accurately stated in the newer translation, "Put your faith in." "Put your trust in the Lord Jesus." Now what is the meaning of the word "trust"? A. Excludes Effort: First it exludes effort. Did you ever have anyone try to teach you to ...

856. Will My Ship Sink or Float?

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

For the key verse in this Scripture reading, like best the King James Version: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God." No! Not everything that happens in life is good (much of it is very bad). But when you add all the happenings of life together and look at the whole of life, for the person ...

857. The Joy of Being a Caring Person

Mt 25:31-46 · Lk 16:19-31

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... we have discovered that God loves us. You get to a parent when you help his child. You really get to God when you lovingly help his children - any of his children - all of his children. There is the story of St. Francis which is really another version (in reverse) of the rich young ruler. St. Francis was rich, high born, high-spirited. He was out riding and met a leper. He was repulsed by the ugliness of the disease, but something moved within St. Francis and compelled him to dismount, to throw his arms ...

858. I Knew You’d Come

John 6:16-24

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

... in World War I, who wrote home to his mother: If you should hear that I have fallen in a naval battle do not cry. Remember that even the ocean in which my body sinks is only a pool in my Savior’s hand. Hardened Hearts Mark’s version of the story is somewhat longer - seven verses (6:45-52). His concern is suggested in the last thing he says. He relates this experience with the multiplication of the bread and points out the confusion of the disciples because "their hearts were hardened." This is further ...

859. What Form of Church Does God Want for the Furture?

Romans 12:1-8, Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... and the talk shows on television. Some months ago, U. S. News and World Report carried a feature article entitled, "Do-It-Yourself Religion Rides a Crest." The article pointed out that millions of Americans are following preachers who spread their deformed version of the gospel through the medium of Hollywood-style television shows. Instead of giving their money to the organized churches for missions to help the poor and educate the illiterate and evangelize the lost, more and more Americans are giving to ...

860. When the Church Is the Church

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... be members of a church like that? We can be, if we want to. If we really want to. 1. Eugene L. Smith, Mandate for Mission (New York: Friendship Press, Inc., 1968), pp. 66-67. Used by permission. 2. Clarence Jordan, The Cotton Patch Version of Paul’s Epistles, (New York: Association Press, 1968), p. 117. Used by permission. 3. Arthur John Gossip, Vol. 8, The Interpreters Bible, Nolan B. Harmon, Editor (New York and Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1952), p. 751. Used by permission. 4. Halford Luccock, quoted in ...

861. The Therapy of Song

1 Samuel 16:14-23, Exodus 15:1-21, Psalm 5:1-12

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... stop just as soon as possible. That’s not the way we open ourselves to the therapy of song! It needs to be welcomed and its message sought; it asks only that we grant it the liberty of leading us. Many have enjoyed either the screen or stage version of "Fiddler on the Roof." It is the story of life in a Jewish ghetto called Anatevka, and music is quite literally the saviour of the people as they bear the pangs of prejudice. Throughout the story, the main character Tevye sings his way along. At one point ...

862. Annas, Caiaphas, and Judas

Drama

Jon Joyce

... not what they do. CURTAIN *It is imporfant that JUDAS not add the Protestant conclusion to the Lord’s Prayer (For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.) for JUDAS would not have known that, as it is not in the biblical version!

863. God, Help Us to Laugh

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... amused, I am sure, God left. In my mind I can see the Hebrews laughing around their campfires as they tell and retell the hilarious stories of God’s dealing with men. Especially humorous is the story of the talking donkey, recorded in Numbers 22:21-35. The Israelite version of Francis the talking mule is the talking ass of Balaam. God told Balaam to go where he told him to go. But early in the morning Balaam saddled his ass and rode off with the princes of Moab. This angered God and he sent an angel to ...

864. Love of God and Love of Country

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... Christian ethics. Has the Christian church today become too tame even to tell the truth? Indeed, there exists striking evidence that a whole generation has grown up among us that has actually never heard the Christian gospel, only the Reader’s Digest version of it. Our watering down of Christianity to accommodate the success stories of unscrupulous men and women is deplorable. Instead of the Christian gospel, we have heard the success story rendition of life. Paul Scherer (The Word God Sent) calls this ...

865. Double Citizenship

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... the famous and now fortunately discarded motto which a leading newspaper blazoned across its editorial masthead, ‘My country, right or wrong!’ was the accepted philosophy of too many patriotic Americans. Today the truly patriotic American accepts John Sutherland Bonnell’s revised version: ‘My country, when wrong, to be made right; when right, to be kept right.’ " When we are sure something is God’s will, we must see that it is held up before our country and done. When we are sure that something ...

866. When We Mourn

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... . You can see the words of the Gospel today must be treated with a special reverence, because they are the concentrated memory of many hours of teaching and conversation between Jesus and his disciples. Under the heading "True Happiness," Today’s English Version translates these beautitudes like this: "Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! "Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them! "Happy are those who are humble; they will receive what God has ...

867. Your Image of Tomorrow

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... prayerful wish that we will have knowledge of God, as he says, "having the eyes of your hearts enlightened." The heart needs an enlightened eye. We need the heart as an instrument of vision, and it should be in good trim for seeing. The Authorized Version of our Bible translates this: "The eyes of your understanding." We need to see with the understanding. In this passage Paul is pointing to realities beyond which he fervently hopes we will comprehend, and by which we will be inspired and guided. Listen to ...

868. He Came to His Senses

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Jon L. Joyce

"At last he came to his senses," Luke writes in describing the dramatic turning point in the life of the young man whom we’ve come to call 'the prodigal son.' " That, in Today’s English Version, corresponds to RSV’s "But when he came to himself." Whatever else, this one thing is clear: the young man was obviously not himself before. His friends would have said of him, "He’s not himself these days." His grieving family would have claimed that he had flipped in an ...

869. "Almost" Is A Sad Word

Matthew 19:16-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... claimed Jesus as the Lord of his life. But "almost" is not good enough. I call your attention to Matthew's gospel, chapter nineteen, beginning with verse 16. The story of the rich young ruler is in three of the four gospels--Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Each version is slightly different. We tend to blend the three into one composite story. All three tell us that the man was rich. Only Matthew mentions that he was young. Only Luke notes that he was a ruler. Verse 16 of Matthew reads as follows: "And behold, one ...

870. How God Guides

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... housework and absent-mindedly singing an old gospel song: "Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King." In a little while she heard her little son Corey in the next room begin to sing along with her, but something wasn't quite right. His version was "Soon and very soon, we are going to Burger King." Kids don't always follow their mothers exactly, but they follow closely. I recall a statement made at the funeral of our founding pastor, Charles Grant. His devout mother raised three boys by herself. When ...

871. Crossing Over

Joshua 3:1-4:24

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... will be. For the ancient Hebrews and for us, faith then becomes critical. Faith is the "assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Heb. 11:1) Faith is being willing to venture with God, blindfolded. The Memphis zoo has a sawed-off, supercharged version of the deer called an Impala. It has a vertical leap of 10 feet and can broad jump 30 feet. With that kind of capability, one would think that the Impala would be almost impossible to keep inside a wall or fence. But that is not the ...

872. God Stood Up

Sermon

James Bjorge

... arrives when Gary Moore says, "Will the real Mr. Jones please stand up?" Very seldom do all the panelists unanimously agree. It is not easy to make proper identifications with limited knowledge and external appearances. Men have been playing this game with various versions down the centuries of time. Everyone from the philosopher to the ploughman has tried to identify God. Many have come onto the stage of life and claimed to be either God or god-like. These pretenders have answered the questions well and ...

873. Remember Lot’s Wife

Luke 17:20-37

Sermon

Don Yocom

... , with freedom and strength to face whatever was ahead. The moral of the story is - LOOK AHEAD, NOT BACK. How about people who are always talking about the past? The good old days. They forget about the bad old nights! They look backward entirely too much. The King James Version of Luke 9:62 gives it a rural setting: "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God." Did you ever see a man plowing a field looking backward all the time? Ridiculous! He might end up far ...

874. The Way I See It

Drama

Sarah Walton Miller

This skit, based on Luke 15:11-32, is a series of monologues in which each character gives his version of the conflict. The older brother has been made an older sister to show the story’s adaptability. Simple staging: four stools or chairs, so arranged that there is the illusion of isolation, each from the others. Always use any available levels. Actors, use your stools: stand by, sit or ...

875. Marriage is Forever

Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 19:1-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... , except for unchastity. Unchastity referred to a woman's having been sexually active before marriage or unfaithful afterward. Note the double standard of the First Century. The man was not held to that same strict standard. In the Mark and Luke versions of Jesus' statement, not even unchastity is given as an exception. All divorce is condemned. That complete condemnation is probably the accurate and original one. The exemption in Matthew was probably an addition by some early church father who wanted to ...

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