Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 901 to 925 of 4936 results

901. Generic Christianity Is Not Enough

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Preaching to you only once a year is not an easy task -- so I spend a great deal of time simply seeking to discern what message God desires to speak through me. In that discernment process -- involving a lot of prayer and reflection -- my memory served me well. The Holy Spirit brought to my mind an experience I had here in Memphis. Since it was an experience worth remembering and since it happened here, I have an idea I shared it with this congregation when it happened. Didn’t I always share the important ...

902. Why Cheerful Givers are Cheerful

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

There is story that dates back to at least the fifties and the "beat" generation about a really cool dude who happened to wander into a very dignified church one Sunday morning. He was met by the pastor after the service, and he grabbed the pastor''s hand, and he said, "Hey, daddy, I really dug it." The pastor said, "Uh, excuse me, young man, I''m afraid I don''t quite understand." So the goateed guest said, "Listen, cat, it was cool, it was gone, man, it really blew my mind!" This really shook the pastor ...

903. Love Is Extravagant

John 12:1-11

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

“But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ “ (John 12:4-6) You’ve got to admit that Judas had a point. His was the voice of sweet reasonableness. “Let’s not let ourselves get carried away,” he said, “Let’s not jump off the deep end. This is wasteful extravagance. This costly perfume could be sold and the money given to the poor.” Never mind that the author of the Fourth ...

904. Don't Be a Turkey (Thanksgiving)

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Alex Gondola

There is little question that the commercially grown turkey is, pound for pound, one of nature’s less intelligent creatures, at least according to an article I once read. In that article, author Fred McGuiness calls the domesticated turkey "as brainless as a baseball," and describes how turkeys can have trouble doing even simple things. For example, your average turkey can get into trouble doing something as simple as eating. Turkeys have been known to starve to death right next to a mountain of food. But ...

905. The Resurrection Body

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

Comparing Bodies and Seeds These ten verses assemble a wide variety of materials as Paul continues to argue in behalf of the reality of the resurrection of the dead. Here, Paul offers a collage of data as he quotes the LXX, alludes to stories from Genesis, and develops analogies related to seed, flesh, body and glory, and Adam. The lines of the discussion open in the style of a diatribe with a dialogical argument, leading to Paul’s central point in verse 38, “God gives … as he wishes.” Above all, Paul’s ...

906. PROPER 13

Lk 12:13-21 · Col 3:1-11 · Ecc 1:2; 2:18-26 · 2 Ki 13:14-20a

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

THE LESSONS 2 Kings 13:14-20a A sick and dying Elisha promises victory over Syria to Joash, king of Israel. This, the last appearance of Elisha, concludes the series of Lessons on Elijah and his successor, Elisha. The scene is Elisha on his death-bed. Joash, king of Israel, comes to him for guidance. He and the country are in deep trouble. Syria is oppressing Israel. With the symbol of a bow and arrow, Elisha promises victory over Syria as Joash shoots an arrow from Elisha's window toward the East. Again, ...

907. Get off the Throne and Learn Wisdom

Matthew 7:1-6

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

A check-out clerk once wrote columnist Ann Landers a letter of complaint: she had seen shoppers with food stamps buy luxury items like birthday cakes and bags of shrimp. The angry woman went on to say that people on welfare who treat themselves to non-necessities were “lazy and wasteful." A few weeks later Lander's column was devoted entirely to people who responded to the grocery clerk with letters of their own. One woman wrote: “I didn't buy a cake, but I did buy a big bag of shrimp with food stamps. So ...

908. Thanksgiving Is a Choice

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

James McCormick

It was a few weeks after the birthday celebration and the mother constantly had been after her 12 year old daughter to write her “thank you” notes. The relationship between them had become quite strained when the girl finally sat down to “do her duty.” Her first note was to her aunt who lived out of state. The aunt had sent her a pin cushion, a lovely gift, but not on the request list of many 12 year olds. The note was brief. She wrote: “Dear Aunt Mae, thank you for the pin cushion. It’s just what I always ...

909. The World Needs Less Mother Goose More Mother Teresa

Isaiah 58:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

A thief in his old age, unable to ply his “trade,” was starving. A wealthy man, hearing of his distress, sent him food. Shortly thereafter, both the rich man and the thief died, on the same day. The trial of the benefactor occurred first in the Heavenly Court. The verdict? He was found wanting and sentenced to Purgatory. At the entrance, however, an angel came hurrying to recall him back to Court. There he learned that his sentence had been reversed. Why? The thief whom he had aided on earth had stolen the ...

910. Envision: The Great Commission

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

James Merritt

I am absolutely convinced after having lived my life to this point, that there is nothing more powerful than a vision. Every great institution, every great invention, every great innovation known to the human race has been the result of somebody’s vision. This past month we have asked you to envision a church filled with followers of Christ, who give everything they have and everything they are to doing three things 24/7: Love God, Serve Others, sharing Jesus. It all begins with loving God. We have learned ...

911. The Glory Departs

Ezekiel 8:1-18, Ezekiel 9:1-11, Ezekiel 10:1-22, Ezekiel 11:1-15, Ezekiel 11:16-25

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

These four chapters contain the second of the three great visions of the Lord’s Glory that punctuate Ezekiel’s prophecy. As with the first (chs. 1–3), Ezekiel dates this second vision to the precise day (8:1), refers to the hand of the Lord (8:1), and titles it “visions of God” (8:3). Further, he makes explicit reference to the earlier vision (8:4; 10:15, 20, 22), including summary descriptions of some portions (e.g., compare 8:2 with 1:26–27) and virtually repeating others (e.g., compare 10:9–12 with 1:15 ...

912. Your Faith Has Made You Well

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“How excellent is your lovingkindness, O Lord! Therefore the children of humankind put their trust under the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 36:7) Prop: blindfold “Do you trust me?” [Choose a volunteer to come up to the front. Blindfold that person, and then proceed to direct them down the aisle and to a location somewhere in the room or sanctuary. You could also allow someone from the congregation to guide him or her.] How hard was that? Was it a bit scary? But you had to trust in the person guiding you. If ...

913. Different

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sermon

James L. Killen

The Christian faith is supposed to make a difference in our lives. If it doesn't, why should we bother with it? If the Christian faith is supposed to make a difference in our lives, then we should expect that Christians will be different. And, Christians are supposed to make a difference in the world. We know these things - and yet, we tend to want to minimize the difference. We want to be like everyone else - not to offend anyone - to make our faith more attractive to others. But it is the difference that ...

914. Justification and Reconciliation

Romans 3:21-31

Sermon Aid

T. A. Kantonen

Two fundamental and interrelated concepts in Paul’s message of salvation are justification and reconciliation. When the apostle speaks of salvation in terms of vicarious sacrifice and redemption, he is describing salvation as a purely objective salvation-occurrence. The saving sacrifice has already been made. The redemptive deed has already been done. The victory over the forces of evil has already been won. Justification and reconciliation, on the other hand, show how what Christ has done can become for ...

915. What Must Be Taught to Various Groups

Titus 2:1-15

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

Instructions for Groups of Believers Although this section has affinities to several passages in both the PE and the rest of the NT, the material nonetheless appears here in a unique way. It picks up the framework of 1 Timothy 5:1–2, where people are grouped by age and sex, and in verses 2–8 fleshes out some details, not in terms of Titus’ relationship to them but of their own attitudes and conduct. The language of the details echoes that used for the overseers, deacons, and women in 1 Timothy 3:1–13 and 2 ...

916. Habakkuk’s Prayer

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

A Plea and a Vision: Chapter 3 opens with a new heading that is even comparable to that of the book as a whole (1:1), and the chapter closes with its own concluding footnote (v. 19b). The heading designates it as a “prayer,” which takes the narrow form of a plea (v. 2) and of a declaration of trust in Yahweh (vv. 16–19). The main body of the chapter (vv. 3–15) comprises a description of Yahweh’s coming which is both an answer to the plea and the basis for the declaration of trust. While the book would not ...

917. A Call to Servanthood and Suffering

Mark 10:46-52, Mark 10:35-45, Mark 10:32-34

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: Once more the disciples fail by seeking greatness rather than servanthood, and the right “path” is shown by Bartimaeus, who centers entirely on Jesus and “follows” him “along the road.” Jesus is central, and here he reveals that his way of suffering is redemptive, providing a “ransom for many,” and ends his public ministry with a call to discipleship. Understanding the Text This is the final set of events in Jesus’s public ministry, as the rest of Mark will cover the passion week, crucifixion, ...

918. Food Sacrificed to Idols

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

Contrasting Knowledge and Love At this point in the letter to Corinth Paul enters into the discussion of an issue that will engage him, in one way or another, through 11:1. While the concrete concern that calls for his attention is the issue of “food sacrificed to idols,” at a theological level his focus is Christian rights and responsibilities, especially regarding “knowledge” and “freedom” in lifestyle practices. Interpreters trace the course of Paul’s reflections in slightly different ways, for at one ...

919. When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough

Ecc 2:1-26

Sermon

David E. Leininger

"If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around to hear, does it make a sound?" You have heard that one. Or one more serious: if a person lives and dies and no one notices, if the world continues as it was, was that person ever really alive? What brings that question to mind is that sadly cynical passage from Ecclesiastes a moment ago in combination with a motion picture that is currently making the rounds called "About Schmidt."(1) When we were in Florida a couple of weeks ago, one of our ...

920. Joy in the Journey

119:129-136

Sermon

Michael Milton

This section contains seven of the eight words used to refer to the Law in Psalm 119. Each line of this section begins with the Hebrew letter Pe, though each is a different word. Yesterday my son, as he often does, read cartoons to me. One was Dennis the Menace. Dennis is kneeling beside his bed, devoutly gazing toward heaven, saying his prayers. The caption read, “You’ll be glad to know that I only broke three-ana-half commandments today.” Only three-ana-half! Way to go, Dennis! Well, the cartoon is funny ...

921. Jesus' Good News of a New World · Part 1

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Mike Ripski

To be a disciple of Jesus is to learn how to live a life that invites those in this world into a new one. It is to let him teach us about the way, truth, and life of this new world that he embodied. He called it the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, eternal life. Since we’re not familiar with kings and kingdoms, and since we think of eternal life as something after this one, let’s call it “God’s new world.” So I ask you a question that you’ll be hearing over the next several weeks: What have you ...

922. God’s Guidance System

John 16:12-15

Sermon

James Merritt

A great preacher in our Convention once told the story of skiing in Colorado, and he noticed on the slopes some people wearing red vests. Wondering whom they were, he went closer and read these words on the vest: BLIND SKIER. He was astounded. If you've ever been skiing or just watched other people ski, you know how hard it must be to ski with two good eyes, much less with no eyesight at all. He wondered to himself, "How do they do it?" He went to a ski instructor and asked him how a blind person could ski ...

923. Finishing Strong

Nehemiah 9:38--10:39

Sermon

James Merritt

The Constitution of the United States had just been signed and America was officially a nation. Benjamin Franklin walked out of the meeting room where many people were anxiously awaiting the news. One lady by the name of Mrs. Powel walked up to Benjamin Franklin and said, "So Mr. Franklin what type of government have your delegates given us?" Benjamin Franklin gave this famous reply - "A republic madam, if you can keep it." What Ben Franklin meant by that was, the Constitution had laid the foundation for ...

924. When God Tests Us

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Argile Smith

When we get nervous about the unknown, we can make mountains out of mole hills. But we aren’t by ourselves. Loads of people down through history have made the same mistake. Take the Israelites, for example. God had delivered them from Egyptian bondage through a series of mystifying miracles at the hand of Moses. Then Moses led them on a three-month journey to Mount Sinai. There God called Moses to the top of the mountain for a meeting with him. Soon Moses came down from the mountain with the Ten ...

925. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Ephesians 1:15-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

Prayer for Divine Enlightenment From the context of 1:15–2:10 it appears that these verses form the next major section of Ephesians. The apostle has just finished recalling the spiritual blessings that God, through Christ, has bestowed upon all believers. From this universal truth, he turns to something more specific: His thoughts move from doxology to prayer; he reminds his readers that he thanks God for them (vv. 15, 16) and that he prays specifically that they will have the necessary wisdom to ...

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