Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 901 to 925 of 1285 results

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... not be able to.” What does he mean by that—enter by the narrow door? Thinking about the narrow door always reminds me of the announcement that appeared in a church bulletin: “Weight Watchers meets next Tuesday night at the church. Please use the wide double doors at the back.” What does Jesus mean by the narrow door? Does he mean that the number of people who will get into heaven is limited? That’s interesting because according to most polls, most Americans not only believe in heaven, they believe ...

902. Let Them Eat Cake

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... disciples who have accepted baptism, that is those who faithfully and ritually have “died with him,” through baptism. They then have been “reborn” as redeemed believers who will live lives of faith “lived with him.” Paul’s message is definitely double-layered. There is danger and even possibly death awaiting those who “die” and then “live” in Christ. But Paul is extremely focused here on the future. In vs. 14 he warns disciples to “avoid wrangling over words” — words that offer ...

903. 2 Timothy 2:8-15

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

904. He's Back

John 20:19-23

Sermon

David O. Bales

... here, he pops up there. That’s not only a summary of Christian history: That also is the pattern of our Christian experience until the end of days. Remember when you were kids in a dozen different games of hiding and seeking, you always tried to double back and come up behind the other kids? That’s what Jesus has done. He’s circled around through suffering and death and returned. He’ll always return. That’s why we can’t hold the Bible casually as we read it. The scriptures tell us amazing ...

905. Praying In Jesus' Name

John 14:5-14

Sermon

David O. Bales

... and my sin and bitter memories exiting from me as I breathe out. Do that right now. Breathe in and take in God’s grace and forgiveness… Breathe out your sin and bitterness… In… Out… You can pray like this anytime, anywhere. However, it offers the double dangers of passing out either because you’re holding your breath or hyperventilating. If you laugh while praying this way, it hurries up the prayer. Our text in John 14 is about our life with God and prayer. We’ll concentrate on what Jesus says ...

906. Jesus Tempted In Us

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

David O. Bales

... him to return to Germany to continue struggling for the faith of his countrymen. He weaseled his way into German counterintelligence. With a number of his family he joined the plot to assassinate Hitler. For two years he worked for the allies as a double agent until the bomb to kill Hitler didn’t, and the list of conspirators was discovered. Bonhoeffer spent two years in Gestapo interrogation camps. In the prison years Bonhoeffer finally accepted that he’d never be freed. No miracle would come. He, his ...

907. God’s Story Time

Jeremiah 23:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... on our testimony.” How many times, now that you look back on your life, were “working on your testimony?” None of us have straight lines in our life stories. Instead we have complex plot-lines, with paths not taken, wrong turns made, and double-backs to new beginnings. Our circuitous, ox-bow lives make up our “testimonies,” our personal story of God’s persistent presence and perseverance in our lives. We are all “scattered sheep” looking for the guiding and good shepherd to take us home. In ...

908. A Topsy-Turvy Gospel

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... world no longer looked upside down to the scientist. His brain completely flipped the images and presented him with a right-side up world once again. The process took about three days. In other words, it took the brain three days to do a double-flip and restore the world back to “normal.” When Stratton ditched the inversion goggles and tried to look out at the world again, everything was turned upside down. His brain had trained itself to perceive the visual world differently. It took another three days ...

909. Framed, Changed, Challenged

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Tony Everett

... t have a home life; if everyone had given up on you. Now imagine what it would mean if hundreds of people believed in you and even cheered for you by name.” At game time, the Tornadoes took the field running through a 40-yard double line of screaming fans and cheerleaders yelling, “Go, Tornadoes!” During the game Tornado players heard hundreds of fans behind their team bench cheering for them by their first names. When both teams gathered on the fifty-yard line for the customary post-game prayer, one ...

910. Hey, What’s that Sound?

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Tony Everett

... is on but nobody is at home.” “His elevator doesn’t make it to the top floor.” You might know a few more. Wilma, 20th of 22 children, suffered from polio as a very young child. By age six, Wilma had also survived double pneumonia, scarlet fever, and whooping cough. She was frail and weak, often needing assistance to accomplish even the smallest tasks at home or school. Based only on her outward appearance, Wilma was destined for a life of poverty, dependence, and frustration. However, Wilma had ...

911. Supernatural: Running On Empty

John 2:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... , all the stores are closed, His mother asks for help, Jesus transforms six jugs of water into wine and that’s it. That is His debut. That is His first hit at the plate. It is certainly not a homerun, not even a triple, maybe a double, but probably a single. On top of that, why would Jesus perform a miracle involving alcohol? This is the only miracle that Jesus performed that makes some church people very uncomfortable. Instead of trying to understand this miracle and enjoy it, some people spend more time ...

912. Prison Theology: Bait and Bail

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... on the "Monopoly" board charge players with criminal conduct, demanding that the player "Go Directly to Jail, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200" (the "going rate" for completing a round about the board). Once "in jail" the prisoner must either roll a seven, eleven, or doubles, or pay a big pile of dough in order to "get out of jail." Unless, of course, the player holds a "get out of jail free" card. For those fortunate players, all they have to do is turn in their "freebie" card on their next roll and ...

913. Turning Pity-Parties into Praise-Parties

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... big or small as that you are developing an “attitude of gratitude” and focusing on the good and not on the bad. When Seligman asked depressed women and men to do this, just for a week, their depression scores lowered by half, and their happiness scores doubled. Ever wonder why there is a rich tradition in Christianity of prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving? Ever wonder why it’s so important to say “thank you” to people? There are certain things you can do to show you weren’t raised by wolves ...

914. Leave Your Calculator Home

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... beyond belief she decided that God used that moth to teach her a lesson: she didn’t need to be storing up her money; she needed to be using it for God. She returned to the church (she lived just across the street) and asked for her card back. She doubled her amount, then marked it out and tripled the amount. David Dykes says, “Folks, I had a hard time getting that moth in her purse . . . No, seriously, I don’t know how it got there, but Nell says she believes God put it there.” (8) I love that story ...

915. Risky Business

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” This is one of Jesus’ best known parables and possibly one of his most misunderstood. Three men are entrusted with bags of gold. Two of the men put the gold to work and double the amount of wealth entrusted to them. The third man is more timid. He doesn’t like taking risks. He is more afraid of failing than he is excited about succeeding. He buried his bag of gold in the ground. Part of this man’s problem was ...

916. I'm Listening

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... is sent. (5) Author Bruce Larson once put it like this: “One of the greatest gifts that God can give us in life is the gift of listening. Listening is the key to success and perhaps even survival in most relationships. We have all seen beautiful double‑page magazine ads in which reputable business systems companies claim that they will teach the members of your firm how to listen. They suggest that the art of listening leads to business success. I don’t know if they can deliver what they promise, but ...

917. Start at the Epicenter

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

James Merritt

... called “casino-style” investing. When his dealings resulted in huge losses, instead of immediately going to his supervisor and telling him what he had done, he covered them up and began to make even riskier deals while trying to recoup the losses. In essence, he began betting double-or-nothing in a gambling game he was going to lose. Ultimately, his actions cost Barings, $1.3 billion and he single-handedly put one of the oldest banks in the world out of business.[1] Why is it so hard for us to tell the ...

918. A Few Remaining Tremors

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

James Merritt

... will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’” (Matthew 18:21, ESV) Why did Peter mention seven times? In Jewish culture, the going rate for forgiveness was three times. Their policy was “three strikes you’re out”. Peter doubles down on the number that the culture demanded and then adds one free pass as a bonus and thinks he is giving Jesus a blue light special. Knowing Peter, he probably thought Jesus was about to give him the Disciple of the Year award when Jesus ...

919. A Man with No Name

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... whatever circumstances he or she has to overcome, something almost magical happens. Doors open; mountains are climbed. Wilma Rudolph was the 20th of 22 children. Born prematurely, doctors did not expect Wilma to survive. She did, but at the age of four, she contracted double pneumonia and scarlet fever, leaving her left leg paralyzed. She learned to walk with the aid of a metal brace. When Wilma was nine-years-old, she removed the leg brace and began walking without it. By age 13, she developed a rhythmic ...

920. A Dance in the Desert

Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... a beggar next to the road leading back to the palace. He wore a smile. He giggled uncontrollably. He laughed at life as it surrounded him. Here was a truly happy man! "Give us your shirt," the messengers demanded. "The king has need of it!" But the fellow only doubled over with spasms of hilarity. "I'm sorry!" he gasped, between fits of laughter. "I have no shirt!" Tantalizing, isn't it? To see joy and not to own it? To hear laughter and yet to find your own throat stopped with pain and silence? To have a ...

921. Are You Giving Up Chocolate for Valentine's Day?

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... a test. The story is told about when the Union Pacific Railroad was being constructed. An elaborate trestle was built across a large canyon in the West. Wanting to test this important bridge, the builder loaded a train with enough extra cars and equipment to double its normal payload. The train was then driven to the middle of the bridge where it stayed an entire day. One worker asked, “Are you trying to break this bridge?” “No,” the builder replied, “I’m trying to prove that the bridge won’t ...

922. Jonah Proof

Jonah 1:17

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... the blubber. They worked all day and part of the night. Next morning, they attached some tackle to the stomach which was hoisted on the deck. The sailors were startled by something in it which gave spasmodic signs of life, and inside was found the missing sailor doubled up and unconscious. He was laid on the deck and treated to a bath of sea water which soon revived him.… He remained two weeks a raving lunatic.… At the end of the third week he had entirely recovered from the shock and resumed his duties ...

923. Overcoming the Fear of Witnessing

Illustration

Michael P. Green

Have you ever had to paint a second or third story of a house? You get about halfway up that double or triple extension ladder and it begins to bend and bounce with your every movement. Then you start wondering about the ladder and its footing and where you will end up when it crashes to the earth so far below you. So, in fear and terror, you stop where you ...

924. The Unbreakable Bridge

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... was built over a certain large canyon in the West as part of the plan to connect St. Louis and California. Before it was open for commercial use, the construction engineer wanted to test its strength. He loaded a train with extra cars and equipment to double its normal payload. The train was driven out to the middle of the bridge, where it was to remain for an entire day. One worker complained, “Are you trying to break this bridge?” “No,” said the engineer. “I’m trying to prove that the bridge ...

925. Abijah King of Judah

2 Chron 13:1–14:1

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... the prophetic warning from Shemiah mentioned in the previous episode (11:4), the Chronicler does not judge Abijah’s action negatively. The great numbers mentioned for Abijah’s and Jeroboam’s troops are exaggerated. The point is clear, however: Jeroboam had double the number of troops on the ground. This would make a victory for Judah over Israel remarkable. 13:4–12 The geographical setting for Abijah’s speech – on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim – is the border region between ...

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