Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 926 to 950 of 1354 results

926. In the Service

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... comes to mind today when someone asks if you ever were “in the service?” There used to be two primary meanings of that phrase “in the service.” The first was military service the “service” given by all those men and women who “served” to defend and protect our country. That why George Washington asked for no pay for serving as Commander-in-Chief of Continental forces during the Revolutionary War. He looked at what he was doing as a “service” to his country, so he refused to accept any ...

927. John 12:1-8

John 12:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... after being denied access to the funds the nard might have provided Judas goes on his own fund-raising mission to the chief priests — offering them Jesus in exchange for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus quashes Judas’s objection and defends Mary’s extravagant action. Jesus demands Judas “leave her alone.” Despite the festive circumstances — Lazarus’ return from the tomb, a communal Sabbath meal, the anticipation of Passover — Jesus himself brings up the topic of death. The nard money that had ...

928. Be a Bethany

John 12:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

929. Belonging to Christ's Flock

John 10:22-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... be brought into the courtroom. Then he ordered the plaintiff, the man who had accused the man of stealing his sheep, to step outside and call the animal. The sheep made no response except to raise its head and look frightened. The judge then instructed the defendant to go to the courtyard and call the sheep. When the accused man began to make his distinctive call, the sheep ran toward the door and his voice. It was obvious that the sheep recognized the familiar voice of his master. “His sheep knows him ...

930. What the Trinity Does

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... with God without even knowing it. I read something interesting about animals, at least male animals. If you place a mirror next to most male animals, they will immediately react aggressively, even attacking the mirror. The image causes the male animal to defend its territory. Scientists tell us that is because these animals lack awareness of who they are. They don’t realize they are seeing themselves in the mirror. If you go higher on the evolutionary chain to monkeys, elephants, dolphins, and some birds ...

931. Lean on the Cloud

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... it has happened again with “The Cloud.” Written two millennia ago, Hebrews 12:1 got there long before the people who invented “The Cloud.” The author of Hebrews extolls the ongoing power and presence of this great “cloud of witnesses” who help us define and defend our faithfulness in our lives. We don’t live “in” the past. But we live “out of” the past, and the voice and values of “The Cloud” ought to shape and steer us. How many of you today have entrusted by faith all your most ...

932. Putting the World Back Together

John 20:1-9

Sermon

David O. Bales

... have ambushed us, destroying family, friends, or national causes, this morning when we’ve been unsuccessful in finding you, we thank you for finding us. Speak our name in your life-giving, resurrected voice. Wipe away the skepticism or cynicism with which we defend ourselves against disappointment. Replace our doubt with certainty of your concern for us. Replace our hate with your love and help us forgive others as you have forgiven us so that we join you in putting your world back together again. In your ...

933. Suffered under (Saint) Pontius Pilate

John 18:28-40

Sermon

David O. Bales

... real command, and he’s talking about the enemies we hate with a passion. Yes, those enemies! Wouldn’t we rather have a leader who gives us even more than a financial stimulus or better rates to refinance our house? How about a leader who’ll represent our values and defend us from our enemies? If we’re going to have a king, how about one who’ll put us on the top of the world’s heap? So much about Jesus is incomprehensible both to Pilate and to us. As opposed to a leader who’ll get us all we ...

934. Nicodemus: A Young Old Man

John 3:1-21

Sermon

David O. Bales

... it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (v. 8). The Spirit held much in store for young-old Nicodemus. He’d find changes to make in every direction he turned. Later he defended Jesus before the Sanhedrin, not well, but he made his start. Finally, he helped Joseph of Arimathea bury Jesus. No one knows what he thought when Jesus died or if he buried Jesus with or without hope. But perhaps as he placed Jesus in the tomb he prayed that ...

935. Down in the Dungeon

Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... front in Europe was collapsing, announced: “We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the 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!” (2) Churchill fought this battle against ...

936. A Prayer for Persecuted Christians Everywhere

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... witnesses to others? Have you prayed that these girls will be able to stand up for their dignity, yet respond in grace and love? (With thanks to “Release International” for some of these thoughts). In this week’s gospel text Jesus defends and empowers a group of “children” who are terribly frightened and hoping to survive. That wimpy, wussy group of “children” is today known as “the disciples,” but better dubbed the “duh!-ciples” — those who are revered as the foundation of what ...

937. Of Peace and War

Deuteronomy 20:1-20

Sermon

James Merritt

... I can give you many more practical, real to life, examples of war in the Old Testament, but what see in the Old Testament is explicitly taught in the New Testament. Romans 13 very plainly states that government has been given, not only the right, but the responsibility to defend its citizens even if that means going to war. There is an interesting way that Paul puts it in Romans 13 when he says this, “For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from ...

938. How Does Your Garden Grow?

Matthew 13:31-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a pickled garden. God designed a garden that its caretakers conserve and then participate with God in conceiving out of its bounty. Jesus’ parables, all of them, are all about embracing God’s continual presence in this world. None of Jesus parables are about defending any human drawn lines we can see. When Jesus says “The Kingdom of God is like,” he is in effect saying “God loves you like . . .” The “Kingdom of God” is Jesus’ password for telling all people what it is God wants to do for ...

939. The Knot: Frayed (Part 1)

1 Peter 3:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... somewhat misunderstood verses in the Bible. “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear.” (1 Peter 3:3, ESV) I personally know people who take this verse and use it to defend the fact that they don’t wear makeup and except for a wedding ring they don’t wear any jewelry. They never get their hair styled and they just look as plain as they possibly can, because they equate plainness with piety. So, some women let themselves ...

940. Seventy-Seven

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... “media rounds.” But her focus was always on education, never on revenge. When interviewed by Jon Stewart, the always glib host of "The Daily Show," Malala managed to leave Stewart speechless. She declared that if attacked again by Taliban assassin she would not physically defend herself, but would instead try to talk to her assailant about the need for education. She joked that she might try to throw her shoe at her attacker, but then she recanted, saying "If you hit a Talib with a shoe there will be ...

941. Risky Business

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... 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 his view of his master’s character. Note how he defends his inaction in increasing his master’s wealth. “Master,” he says, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground ...

942. Why He Did It

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... indicates that Atley was confronted by a band of hostile tribesmen. He was carrying a fully loaded, 10-chamber, Winchester rifle and he had to choose either to shoot his attackers and run the risk of negating his work as a Christian missionary or to not defend himself and be killed. When his body was later found in a stream, it was evident that he had chosen the latter. Nearby lay his rifle. All 10 chambers still loaded. He had made the supreme sacrifice, motivated by his unswerving devotion to Christ. (2 ...

943. Getting to a Teachable Moment

Mark 15:1-15

Sermon

Craig MacCreary

... teacher to have a tongue that gives a lashing rather than the planned lesson. Crass cultural mindlessness can lead to folks being pretty far away from anything that looks like the mind of Christ. Context can cut out learning. Perhaps it is a Pilate moment: too much to prove, defend, or prosecute to have ears to listen to each other or eyes to see what is in front you. One of the teaching tools that I use with our confirmation class is the movie Twelve Angry Men. It is the story of a trial in which one lone ...

944. The Good Life

John 10:11-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... from The Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd guards his sheep even at the cost of His own life. He will pay any price to get the sheep where they need to be. You see sheep are totally defenseless. I mean almost any other animal on earth can defend itself in some way. Dogs can bite, cats can claw, skunks can spray, but sheep can’t do anything. They need protection. Contrary to what we may think we are totally defenseless against the difficulties of life. Recently I had dinner with one of our congressmen up ...

945. The Failure

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

James Merritt

... on – his eyes are open – he gets it. He is getting what he deserved while Jesus is not. To me, it may be the greatest single story of a conversion in the entire Bible, because the same mouth that was cursing Jesus just moments before now is defending Jesus. What could have possibly happened? He didn’t see Jesus perform a miracle. He didn’t hear Jesus preach a sermon. According to Luke, all he heard was one thing Jesus said, “And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do ...

946. Surviving the Big One

Matthew 18:10-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... his office right now. We will make sure he gets on his knees and apologizes to you and then we will pray together so that God can restore peace to this body. But, I will not let you talk critically about people who are not present to defend themselves.’ New members please understand that I am entirely serious about this. I want you to help resolve this kind of thing immediately and meanwhile know this. If you are the one doing the loose talking we are going to confront you.” Then Jim Cymbala said this ...

947. A Dance in the Desert

Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... were rarely welcome in the royal palaces, even though all that was left of a once proud and expansive Israel was the tiny mountainous territory of Judah. During the 600s, although Assyria kept threatening Jerusalem, it was increasingly occupied in defending itself against its rebellious eastern province of Babylon. During these years, while Jeremiah developed his gloomy diatribes in the heart of the capital city, Zephaniah (630-610 BC) provided a few paragraphs against Judah and the nations that surrounded ...

948. When the Dragon Wins

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... paraphrase what Jesus says in Luke 21:12-19, things are going to start to go wrong. Then things will become miserable before becoming unimaginably worse. Christians will be persecuted for their faith. They will be arrested, hauled before courts, poorly defended, unjustly convicted, and have no recourse. Your friends and family, even your parents, brothers, and sisters will turn against you and betray you. Some of you will be put to death. You can forget this notion that following Jesus guarantees blessings ...

949. The Good Samaritan (Revised Edition)

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... his lawyer. David's is not an isolated case. Numerous Americans have been hauled into court for being Good Samaritans who, it was claimed, either aggravated or increased the extent of injury of the victim they saved. If doctors have had to defend themselves against the proliferation of malpractice suits, Good Samaritans have increasingly found themselves in court being sued for an act of mercy. So, the question arises, what kind of society are we anyway when people sue their fellow citizens for attempting ...

950. Pet Rocks and the Big Reveal

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... a plan and a purpose, nothing can stand in His way. If God says that His kingdom is coming, it’s time for us to join the preparation committee. E. Stanley Jones once told about a young man who was arrested for preaching the Kingdom of God. He defended himself by declaring that he was only preaching what Jesus had preached long ago. The prosecutor refuted his argument by saying, “But the Kingdom of God has not come yet.” “It has for me,” the young man replied. And that’s the way it ought to be ...

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