Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 926 to 950 of 4939 results

926. Courage Me!

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the far country of drugs, sexual promiscuity, wasted living, and do you know what he said to me, and he said it about his father. "He didn't give up on me," and then he added, "neither did God." You see, those two things go together. They always do -- it may be that our not giving up on a person is the only witness they will have that God doesn't give up either. IV. Now a final word. Christians encourage one another by their courage and perseverance. When we were in Estonia a few years ago -- and we are so ...

927. Clean Hands

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... community because of their "sin" of indulging in peanut butter. Because peanut butter was a luxury that had to come from the States, some of the other missionaries considered it a sign of spiritual maturity to abstain from peanut butter. Giving up peanut butter was, in their perspective, a sacrifice for their faith. When this young missionary family continued to eat peanut butter, the other missionaries ostracized them. In the end, the young missionary family gave in to discouragement and left the mission ...

928. Simeon's Song

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... 't been easy. And it won't be easy from here on. Because there is always resistance. If somebody is expected to change, there is resistance. You ask somebody to change their life, and they will probably resist you. You ask somebody to give something, or to give up something, there will be resistance. So it is not going to be easy. David Mazel, a Jewish writer, said that one day his rabbi asked him how things were going. He said, "OK, but it wouldn't hurt if they got a little better." The rabbi said, "How ...

929. Be Ready!

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

King Duncan

... time for Helen to pursue her own dreams. For the last few months, Helen had been saving up her money so that she could begin piano lessons. But what was more important than telling young people about the love of Jesus? Helen pledged that night to give up her piano lessons and donate that $60 each month to the youth fund. The church council members, moved by Helen’s generosity, voted unanimously to hire a youth pastor. (5) I believe Helen was ready not only for Christmas, but for Christ’s coming. Don’t ...

930. On Running Afoul of the Dress Code

Mt 22:11-14

Sermon

... 've got to follow the rules." Lent is a good time to preach such a message. For Lent is not only about invitations to answer. Lent is about disciplines to undertake and work to do. Historically, Lent has generated daily "job descriptions" for Christians. Give up this. Take on that. I used to minimize that. But I don't anymore. I think that "doing something" for Lent is exceedingly important. Guests who accept God's gracious invitation must not assume that being invited is an invitation to laxity. My friends ...

931. Braveheart

John 20:24-29

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... it one Sunday after they had been to church. "Can't we find some kind of compromise on this religion thing?" Tommy asked. But Sophia would have none of it. Her Christian faith meant the world to her. She was not about to compromise. She wasn't about to give up her faith practices. "You promised," she said to Tommy. "You said you would give it a try." "But I have tried," Tommy replied. "How long do I have to go on with this anyway? I've been to church with you just about every Sunday for this whole first ...

932. Audacious Faith

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... at the audacious faith of the paralytic’s friend and learn from them. “Had they been less certain of a cure, and less eager, they would have shouldered their burden and carried him home again.” (Maclaren, p. 62) They had every reason to give up. They had good intentions; their heart was in the right place; but their mission failed. They might as well go home! But look at them. Their audacious faith drives them to imaginative action, bold, daring. Never mind how Jesus might respond to their audacity ...

933. Whose Child Is This?

Matthew 1:1-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . He came for Gentiles as well as Jews, for sinners as surely as saints, for the down and out as well as the up and out. That is why we call him Savior. Whatever your heritage you can come to Him just as you are. You need not wait to give up the jug, nor clean up your act, nor erase your history. Christ the Savior is born. He wants to be your Savior today. D. Jesus Christ, the Son of Joseph As Max Lucado spins the story, Joseph was perched firmly on his branch of the family tree. It was thick ...

934. Lost and Found

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . Only about a third of the way into the solid granite a 1500 pound drill bit broke. One miner later said, “We fought despair when the drilling stopped.” He found a pen and wrote a good-bye note to his family. Rescuers would not give up. Eventually they reached the miners and lifted each one to safety to the thundering applause of colleagues, reporters and family. Simply stated the Church must recover its search and rescue mission, return to its apostolic roots, and start caring for lost people. That is ...

935. Not What You Expected

Hebrews 2:10-18

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... seem like a natural. So the somewhat-dense reading from Hebrews may have struck you as a little heavy-duty. It is not the Hallmark-card rendition of those things. As Christians, we no more have to ignore the Hallmark version than I have to give up my Disney version of the three pigs, but we are called to acknowledge that there is more and be willing to dig into it. The writer of Hebrews wants to make sure we do not overlook the significance of doctrines like the incarnation, atonement, and sanctification ...

936. Step By Step

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... when my 15-year-old acts like the world revolves around him. It doesn't delight in evil (is not self-righteous) when I remind my 17-year-old that he's going 83 in a 55-mph zone, but rejoices in the truth. Love doesn't give up hope. It always protects our children's self-esteem and spirit, even while doling out discipline. It always trusts God to protect our children when we cannot. It always perseveres, through blue nail polish, burps and other bodily functions, rolled eyes and crossed arms, messy rooms and ...

937. Israel Unrepentant

Hosea 6:1--7:16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... God wants to forgive the people (cf. 14:4) and return to the intimate communion that they knew in the wilderness (cf. 2:15). To restore the fortunes, in 6:11b, means “to return to the former state,” to make Israel once more blessed. God is loathe to give up on my people. Always God’s desire is to do good to his people (cf. Deut. 5:29; Ezek. 18:32), to love them and bless them and pour out his grace upon them. When God’s people deliberately turn away, however, he cannot fulfill these merciful desires ...

938. For the Glory of Christ

John 12:20-33 · Hebrews 5:5-10

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... , "Well, frankly, I'm not too wild about you, either." We need to realize that there are going to be times in the life of this family known as the Church, when we're not going to be wild about each other. And that's OK. But we don't give up on each other. And we're called to act in love towards each other even though we disagree. We do this, not to glorify ourselves but as Christ did, to glorify God. That's our purpose in all that we do in the Church, to bring glory to God and ...

939. A Life-changing Question

John 9:1-41

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... and took the bus driver, a bus monitor, and 18 school children hostage. This sounds like a frightening, even tragic, story. But I call it an amazing story because the kidnapper gave up and released all the hostages after just six minutes. What caused him to give up on his crime? He got tired of the children asking him questions. In an interview, the bus driver, Kenneth Corbin, said that as soon as the man got on the bus, the frightened children began asking him questions. First, the students asked him if he ...

940. Beware Of Your Piety

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... happened to Lent? It has been some time now since church attendance was swollen during this season. Congregations also conducted weekday services that were well attended. Lenten reading was popular, and people talked a great deal about their Lenten fasting. "What did you give up for Lent?" was a common question. Very often that was done with little thought. In the Chicago area in the '50s, where and when Lenten piety was quite prominent, a woman was shopping at the bakery. While she was waiting her turn to ...

941. When It's Hard To Give Thanks

Joel 2:18-27

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

... , instead of giving thanks, the people began to complain to God. Faith shifted to fatalism. Courage changed to cynicism. Hope went on a holiday. There was no faith to be fired, no prayer to be prayed and no song to be sung. And so they were about to give up on their future because of a setback that they had suffered. Have you ever been there? Chances are that at some time in our lives, each of us has suffered a serious setback. It may be a financial or career setback. It may be a physical or spiritual ...

942. Syncing with the Spirit

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... eternal city of God. (“When Will It End?” The African American Pulpit 1 [Fall 1998], 6.) The Season of Lent, the forty days leading up to Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, is all about solemn reflection and sacrifice. We “give up” things for Lent: we “give up” meat, sweets, fast food. The Season of Advent is different. Advent is all about aligning ourselves with the astonishing approach of God that occurs on Christmas Day. Advent is the time the church urges Jesus’ followers to get in ...

943. Dinner Parties With A Difference

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... our mutual admiration society, my dinner party is different, says Jesus. So long as you come openly with faith and repentance as did this woman, you are welcome. I accept you. I want to include you among my friends. I will forgive you if you are willing to give up your phoniness, to lay it straight, to come clean, admitting your wrongs. I realize, says Jesus, that you may feel as though you are not up to my standards, that you feel you may not know how to behave in my circle of friends. But that really ...

944. Followership

Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... from some and giving orders to others. Why is it, then, that we are so averse to teaching and learning the skills of good followership? In large part I think because it means giving up control. And most of us have a dreadful fear -- a deathly fear -- of relinquishing control of any segment of our lives. Indeed, we do not give up control willingly; and God will not take control from us by force or false promise. So what's the answer? How does God make disciples -- followers -- of the likes of us? The only ...

945. Room For Questions

Matthew 11:2-11

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... . "Are you the one," he asked of Jesus, "or should we wait for another?" We feel bad about asking, but we need to know, just as John the Baptist needed to know. We aren't likely to place our trust completely in anyone, or forsake all the other options, or give up all we have, if Jesus is not the one we think he is. "Jesus, are you the one?" That is the kind of question that can get people in trouble. In some churches and homes, questions aren't very welcome. They are the last thing that some people want to ...

946. End times

Mt 24:1-14 · 1 Thess 3:7-13 · Jer 26:1-6 · Ps 105:1-7

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... pleasant or perfect, we would not be ready to be born into the next. The evil forces won't go down without a battle. The picture portrayed in this mini-apocalypse is that of an all-out war. The forces of Satan are not going to give up until overpowered. As I write this, the military junta in Haiti has backed down under the threat of an all-out invasion. Thankfully, bloodshed has been averted by the diplomatic efforts of Jimmy Carter and Colin Powell, but is permanent peace a likely outcome with the corrupt ...

947. Love And Friendship

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

... his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins." When Jesus discusses friendship with his disciples in the Gospel of John, he speaks about it in terms of laying down his life, offering up his life. The sign of a true friend is the willingness to give up one's life for the sake of the one befriended. Against the Old Testament background of "sacrifice for sin," Jesus is willing to accept the responsibility to become the sacrifice for sin for all, so that God's love can be extended to all. Jesus becomes our ...

948. Proper 13

Luke 12:13-21, Psalm 49:1-20, Ecclesiastes 2:17-26, 2 Kings 13:10-25, Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... a "really rich" child of God. Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:18-26 (L); 1:2; 2:(1-7, 11) 18-23 (E); 1:2; 2:21-23 (RC) - "A Fool Who Is Becoming Wise." 1. The Preacher saw life as it really is; he realized that he would have to give up everything he had worked for and accumulated when he reached the end of life and died. "All is vanity," he declares. 2. One stands on the threshold of despair, as the Preacher realized, when one contemplates that one's "empire" will become the property of a person who has not ...

949. What It Takes to Stay Christian

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... the waiting father ran to welcome his errant son with open arms even though the son didn’t deserve it. Agape-love is that kind of love which St. Paul described in 1 Corinthians 13 as being "patient and kind ... which does not keep a record of wrongs ... which never gives up" (T.E.V.). Agape-love is tough-minded love, love at which you have to work and work and work, day after day. It is the kind of love which is perfectly and succinctly described in John 3:16 when "God so loved the world that he gave his ...

950. Our Damascus Road Experience

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

King Duncan

... of my life." Francis Thompson knew the truth of those words from his own experience. He wrote, "I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years." And he compared God to a great hound who would not give up the chase. God speaks to each of us according to our own needs. He places evidences of His love on every side. He gives us warning signals when our lives are askew. Saul had a dominant personality. He believed that he could handle every situation. What a surprise ...

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