Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 901 to 925 of 1679 results

901. Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams

Luke 1:67-80

Sermon

Carroll Gunkel

I suggested that the sermon I preached on the life and ministry of Dr. Tom Dooley was begun more than twenty years before it was actually preached and had no real starting point. This message has a more recent and specific beginning. This sermon was begun on Tuesday, August 10, 1976, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. On that day and in that place Anne Maguire went for a walk. With her was her daughter, Joanna, aged eight years, who preceded her mother, pushing her infant brother Andrew, aged six weeks, in a ...

902. Herod and Jesus

Drama

Jon Joyce

Setting The private sitting room in the palace in which Herod is staying in Jerusalem. A throne-like chair, perhaps with a gold or violet throw covering it, should be provided for Herod; this chair should face the audience. A simple chair or stool should be placed in front of the chair so that Jesus, when he sits down, may face Herod but not the audience. Other appointments to the room may be added for effect: potted palms, a small table with a wine carafe and fresh fruits, and anything else appropriate to ...

903. Freedom Can Be Frightening

Leviticus 25:8-55

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

In November of 1751, the Provincial Assembly of the Colony of Pennsylvania ordered a bell for its new State House. The order directed that the new bell should have a biblical quotation inscribed around it, as the specifications read, "in large and well-formed letters," and the quotation that was prescribed was verse 10 of chapter 25 of Leviticus. These words: "Proclaim liberty throughout the land, and unto all the inhabitants thereof." Surely it was appropriate that this bell, with its challenging ...

904. STEWARD

Gen. 43:19; 1 Peter 4:10

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

Genesis 43:19 - "So they went up to the steward of Joseph’s house, and spoke with him at the door of the house," 1 Peter 4:10 - "As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:" The steward in ancient Israel was the man who controlled the affairs of the household of the wealthy and royal families, especially in overseeing the service of the table, directing the servants, and controlling the household expenses. This was a position of trust, as is evident, ...

905. A Prophet in a Panic

1 Kings 19:9-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Is it a commentary on television that nowadays some of the best programs are the commercials? One of my all-time favorites was made by the Aetna Insurance Company. It shows a father going through a goodnight ritual with his young son. First, the father has to look under the bed and then check the closet to make sure no monsters are there. Then, having secured the room, he says goodnight. As he leaves the room, a shaky little voice says, "Dad, would you leave the hall light on?" All of us can relate to that ...

906. The New Birth

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

When Jimmy Carter was President, the press often described him as a "born-again Southern Baptist." Everybody knew what a Southern Baptist was (just a Methodist unafraid of water and willing to tithe). But the term "born again" was a mystery to many. There was and is something different about Jimmy Carter. Even his political enemies detected in him an inner peace, a spiritual depth, and a transcendent commitment. Perhaps Jimmy Carter's difference had to do with this business of being born again. Let's ...

907. Overcoming Fear

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Many years ago when I was a young preacher, I noticed that a new family had moved into a neighborhood not far from our church. So I dropped by late one afternoon. I noticed that one car was parked in the carport. I went to the side door, the one opening onto the carport. I had rung the door bell only once when I heard a deep, bass growl that sounded like the rolling of thunder. It was coming from the back of the carport and it made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up. I glanced to my left and ...

908. Resurrection: From Burn-Out to New Vision

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

Elijah’s feet pounded on the trail. His legs stretched out to cover the miles. He outran the king’s chariot. He outran the wind blowing up the storm-clouds overhead. Strength to run like this after the day he had been through was a gift from God. God had been giving him strength like that all along; strength that had always amazed him. There had been the strength to tell King Ahab that he was a fool and a blasphemer. There had been the strength to prophesy that there would be no more rain until Israel ...

909. "I Don’t Hate Any More!"

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

A. E. Housman, in a brief verse, uncovers the awfulness of hate: I see In many an eye that measures me The mortal sickness of a mind Too unhappy to be kind. Undone with misery, all they can Is to hate their fellow man; And till they drop need must still they Look at you and wish you ill. That is a plague I would hope to escape. E. Stanley Jones shares his keen insight into the self-destruction of hate. He reminds us that "a rattlesnake, if cornered, will sometimes become so angry it will bite itself. That ...

910. Be Careful How You Live

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Brett Blair

There are two birds that fly over our nation’s deserts: One is the hummingbird and the other is the vulture. The vultures find the rotting meat of the desert, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill ...

911. Living Free

Haggai 2:1-9

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Why are things not better in America? With the booming economy, the new freedoms won by the Civil Rights movement and the Feminist movement, why is there still so much poverty, inequality, and discrimination? Questions such as these that we are asking today were on the lips and in the hearts of ancient Jews around 520 B.C. Many, if not most, of these Jews in Judah (southern Israel) at that time had been exiles in Babylon during the Babylonian Captivity. Some eighteen to twenty years before they had been ...

912. The Ten Commandments #6: No Murder

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

["This is the word of the Lord..."] And the word of the sheriff...and the police chief...and the governor...and the president...and MOTHER. EVERYBODY! "You shall not murder," (and, by the way, "murder" IS a more accurate translation of the commandment from the Hebrew than simply "kill" - the word means "violent, unauthorized" killing). No problem with that. And that is why there is such national revulsion at the horrible death of Matthew Shepherd in Wyoming. No matter what anyone thinks of his sexual ...

913. I, Caiaphas

John 18:12-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Good evening! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Caiaphas. I was the high priest in the land of Palestine when the man you call Jesus was arrested an put on trial. But I'm getting ahead of myself; how about if I go back to the beginning of my story? My beloved Palestine was living through times which were filled with turmoil. Rome had been ruling over us as a captive people for over 50 years, and opinions were varied as to what should be done to resolve this impossible situation. One group believed ...

914. Finding Our Way Back Home

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever been accused of being a little absent-minded? Some of us have. We can take comfort in the fact that somewhere in Norway there is a young man named Jermund Skogstad who is worse off than we. Last year Jermund moved from the country to the city and rented an apartment. Thirty minutes after moving into his apartment, he stepped out for a bite to eat. By the time he found a cafe, he was hopelessly lost and had no idea how to get home. Further, he had forgotten the address of his new apartment. ...

915. Why Are You Troubled?

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

King Duncan

Some people are worriers. Have you ever noticed that? It's like the patient in the mental hospital. He was holding his ear close to a wall, listening intently. This went on for some time before an attendant finally came up and asked him what he was doing.. "Sh!" whispered the patient, motioning him over to listen as well. The attendant pressed his ear to the wall and listened carefully. "I can't hear a thing," he finally said. "That's right," replied the patient with a troubled look on his face. "It's been ...

916. Offer Them Christ

Romans 9:30--10:21

Sermon

King Duncan

After listening to pastor Chuck Swindoll on the radio, 8 year-old Debbie asked 6 year-old brother David, "Do you know about Jesus?" Expecting a new slant on the old gospel story, David replied, "No." Big sister continued: "Sit still, 'cause this is real scary." After explaining the gospel as only an 8 year-old could, she popped the question: "Now David, when you die, do you want to go to heaven to be with Jesus, God, your mommy and daddy and big sister, or do you want to go to the lake of fire to be with ...

917. Christmas Brings Us A New Heart

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

John Pugh

Christmas is a hectic time. One writer on the financial page, commented that our society has been racing through its prosperity so fast we have lost sight of any destination. But Christmas is also a special time defined by gift giving. A kindly 90-year-old grandmother found buying presents for family and friends a bit much one Christmas, so she wrote out checks for all of them to put in their Christmas cards. In each card she carefully wrote, "œBuy your own present" and then sent them off. After the ...

918. Beaten Up, But Still Standing

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

King Duncan

Pat Kelly, a major league outfielder in the '70s, was a born-again Christian. One day Pat said to his manager, Earl Weaver, "Aren't you glad I walk with the Lord, Earl?" Weaver replied, "I'd rather you walked with the bases loaded." When one football coach was asked about his offensive team's execution he replied, "I'm all for it." Sports are popular because they are a metaphor for our life experience. You win some, you lose some. Sometimes you feel like the champion of the world. Sometimes you just feel ...

919. The Edge Of Night

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Gloria Swanson was one of Hollywood's top actresses from the 1920s to the 1950s. She was quite ambitious. Early in her career, Swanson was quoted as saying, "I have gone through enough of being a nobody. I have decided that when I am a star, I will be every inch and every moment the star! Everybody from the studio gate man to the highest executive will know it." And Swanson made sure of that. Before returning from a trip to France, Gloria Swanson sent a telegram to her film studio informing them that she ...

920. A Life Without Apology

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

King Duncan

Nothing in our lives brings us joy like small children. But they are also a challenge. Maybe that is why there are so many jokes about raising children. "We child-proofed our home," said one comedian, "but they are still getting in." "If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache," says another, "do what it says on the aspirin bottle: "˜TAKE TWO ASPIRIN' and "KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN." Some of you will identify with Rita Rudner's line: "I think about having children, because time is running out. I ...

921. The Tender Touch (Part 1)

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Eric Ritz

It is no surprise to me that James closes this writing with an admonition on prayer to God for wisdom and knowledge for all areas of our life. By praying, we experience the understanding that God''s grace is sufficient for all our needs and that He is sovereign over all of them. I read recently of a family on vacation who wanted to enjoy some time of recreation in a nearby playground. The little girl wanted to get in but the gate was locked. Her father explained that she couldn''t play there because of the ...

922. Feasting and Fasting for Lent (Part II)

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Last Sunday I opened our Lenten season by sharing with you that we do not normally associate FEASTING with the idea of Lent. Most of us most likely have heard of the word FASTING. The whole idea behind the concept of fasting as to discipline our lives in such a way that the personhood of Jesus Christ would become a deeper reality in our spiritual journey. Since there is now a void left by our fasting, we can then fill it to the brim (feasting) with the attitude and lifestyle that develops commitment to the ...

923. What a Difference a Day Makes

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Eric Ritz

One of the moving and insightful stories that came out of the Nazi concentration camps in Europe concerned a musician by the name of Gustaf Moeller and his niece. When the young Jewish girl arrived at the camp it was decided she was too valuable to be killed like the others. Instead, she was ordered to gather together an orchestra to play for the Nazi officers and top brass. She was able to gather together many talented Jewish musicians who were ready to be killed. Some of the performers were the most ...

924. Deliverance: The Forgotten Third of Jesus' Ministry

Mark 9:14-32

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Russian novelist Fydor Dostoevsky wrote, "God and the devil are at war in the universe and their battlefield is the human heart." Just after Christ's transfiguration one of these skirmishes is to be seen. When Jesus was transfigured, the entire mountain shone with the radiance of heaven. Moses was there. So was Elijah. And when Peter found his voice, he said, "Master, it's good that we are here! Let's build!" But Jesus pointed them back down the mountain where they were immediately confronted with a little ...

925. Grace in the Midst of Exasperation

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

Spiritual storytelling (a.k.a. "my testimony") is often an inspiring experience for a gathered group of Christians. It is also inherently risky. The risk is that the story will sound wonderful. Whenever the overwhelming number of details of someone's garden-variety life are squeezed down to a significant few, it can seem that that four-minute abridged version of existence is fabulously more exciting or meaningful than anything the rest of us have experienced in the previous forty years. We may say to each ...

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