Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 976 to 1000 of 4936 results

976. Star Miracle

Matthew 2:1-12, Isaiah 60:1-22, Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

Today's society is a star-saturated society, or should we say star-crazy society? Since we seem to know all about our Earth and face no more earthly frontiers, we have turned our attention to extra-terrestrial bodies. We are interested in the stars: their size, temperature, and whether life exists on them. In 1989 Time magazine had a feature article on the sun, an "ordinary" star 96 million miles from Earth, 865,000 miles in diameter, with a temperature of 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. For 3-and-a-half ...

977. Stuffed Bodies and Skinny Souls!

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a ...

978. A Risky Lifestyle

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The worst nightmare of every mother happened to a Memphis woman just over a year ago. A woman named Anita was stopped for a traffic light at the corner of Highland and Southern. Suddenly a stranger opened the passenger door of her car, grabbed her 2-month- old baby, and ran. Anita's instincts took over. She slammed that car into park, jumped out, and ran after the man. A terrified mother can move with lightning speed. When she got near the man he threw her baby into a ditch and kept on running. ...

979. 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 ...

980. Was The President's Advisor's Sin Really That Bad?

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Late last summer during the Democratic Convention our country was witness to a sorry spectacle. The chief political advisor to the President of the United States was alleged to have been involved with a prostitute. Furthermore, he was alleged to have shared with her national secrets. Assuming there was some truth to these allegations, we might ask the question, Was what he did so wrong? Is it a sin to be involved with a prostitute? Now you are probably thinking to yourself what an absurd question to be ...

981. LENT: The Passion of Christ: "Betrayed"

John 13:21-30; Matthew 26:14-16; 45-50

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A Vacation Bible School teacher, one summer, taught class on Judas' betrayal of Jesus. After the lesson, she went over the review questions and asked, "Who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver?" Without hesitating, her 7-year-old son replied, "I know! It was 'Judas the Scariest!' " (1) For me Judas was the Scariest disciple of all. He's the most frightening character of the entire Passion story. He's more frightening than Pilate or Herod or Caiaphas and the other accusers. To me, Judas is even more ...

982. Jesus Prays for His Disciples

John 17:1-5, John 17:6-19, John 17:20-26

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

If chapters 15–17 are viewed as an expansion in reverse order of the three pronouncements found in 13:31–35, then chapter 17 is built on Jesus’ solemn reference to glorification in 13:31–32. Glorification is at any rate the theme of verses 1–5. In verse 1, Jesus prays, Father, … Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. In verse 5, he prays again, And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. Superficially, it appears that these two petitions ...

983. Gratitude and Coping

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Tom Garrison

Nothing in recent years has been more upsetting than the sharp increase in the use of drugs among young. People have become so traumatized by the subject that any reasonable discussion of it has become well-nigh impossible. This is why I was particularly impressed with a speech made not long ago by a public health official at a large university, for he wisely avoided histrionics and went straight to the heart of the problem. He openly acknowledged that "the jury was still out" as to all of the physical ...

984. Advent 2

Mark 1:1-8, 2 Peter 3:1-18, Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 40:1-11 These verses open the second part of Isaiah dealing with the exiles in Babylon. The opening verses constitute good news to a people sitting in the darkness of bondage and despair. God tells second Isaiah to comfort the people with the news of promised deliverance. They have suffered enough. A highway is to be built for God to come and rescue his people and bring them back to their homeland. In contrast to Yahweh, man is as insecure and temporary as grass. The only ...

985. Claimed, Framed, Changed

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Tony Everett

What do athletic coaches, politicians, and preachers have in common? They are expected to give inspirational pep talks, speeches, or sermons that fire up powerful emotions. They are supposed to motivate their listeners to “give 110%,” overcoming all obstacles to victory no matter what the cost. Coaches know that the best pep talk can only get athletes through the first football collision, the first gymnastics tumbling pass, or the first baseball at bat. Politicians know that the most stirring speech is ...

986. Advent 4

Luke 1:26-38, Romans 16:1-27, 2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon Aid

E. Carver McGriff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1-16 If our purpose here were teaching rather than preaching, we could spin a wonderful tale of the rise of King David, and of his transformation of the Israelites. We could relate how David brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, which was to become known as the city of David, and how David wished to build a splendid tabernacle to house the ark. But more conservative voices prevailed for the time being, and David seems to have conceded for the time. The prophet ...

987.

Drama

David E. Ullery

CAST (in order of appearance) Claudia: The wife of Pontius Pilate, Procurator of Palestine. She has been influenced by Jesus. Rachel: A Jewish servant-girl in Pilate’s household. Joanna: Wife of the chief steward in Herod’s household. She is a follower of Jesus. Pilate: Pontius Pilate, the strong-willed Procurator, symbol of the hated Roman conquerors. Sergius: A Roman soldier, personal body-guard of Pontius Pilate. Caiaphas: Chief Priest and leader of the Jewish Sanhedrin, an evil and crafty man - a ...

988. Tomorrow Doesn't Always Come

James 4:1-12

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

A very popular song from the musical Annie called "Tomorrow," was sung by the little red-haired orphan girl, and the words go something like this: The sun will come out tomorrow Bet your bottom dollar That tomorrow there will be sun And the refrain goes: Tomorrow, tomorrow It''s almost tomorrow It''s only a day away. Our hearts are really attracted to that, lifted up by those words. And the song does express the popular and comforting idea that there is always going to be more time, a second chance and ...

989. The FUD Club: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Theme: In a world of doomsayers, where Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt reign supreme, disciples of Jesus are doom-slayers. EXEGESIS of the Text: Part 1: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 The 2 Thessalonians Epistle text for this week skips about in chapter two, cherry-picking verses first from the opening lines of the letter (vv.1-5), then landing on the concluding remarks of this first section (vv.13-17). This edited reading of 2:1-17, however, does succeed in focusing on the author’s primary concern throughout this ...

990. Do You Have Any Leftovers?

John 6:1-15

Sermon

James Merritt

Without question, I can tell you what my absolute, all time, favorite meal is. It is so special that I only get to eat it once a year. It is so special, and so good, and so tasty that it is worth the wait. It is not just what I get to eat that makes it the most special meal of the year, but who I get to eat it with. It is the time of year I get to eat it and it is the occasion that brings me to the table. Can you guess what meal this is? It is Thanksgiving. The reason why Thanksgiving is my favorite meal ...

991. The Day of Atonement: Preparation

Leviticus 16:1-34

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: The high priest must be purified before conducting the Day of Atonement sacrifices. Understanding the Text Leviticus 16, on the Day of Atonement, is a transitional chapter, giving a general remedy for the problem of uncleanness described in Leviticus 11–15. It also prepares the way for the laws of holiness that follow (Lev. 17–27). Leviticus 16 is arguably the most important chapter in Leviticus, introducing the Day of Atonement, the highest and most sacred day in the Israelite calendar. Its ...

992. Struggling with Sin

Romans 7:7-25

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

We noted in section 14 that chapters 6–7 are something of a theological entrenchment on Paul’s part designed to defend his gospel against three objections. In 6:1–14 he contended against a misunderstanding of 5:20 (“where sin increased, grace increased all the more”), which would argue that if grace increases with sin, why not sin all the more? In 6:15–7:6 he answered a second objection that freedom from the law leads to moral anarchy. Now in the present section (7:7–25) we hear his final defense, in which ...

993. Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

God’s Peculiar, Powerful Way This paragraph is crucial, both in the context of this particular letter and for the overall understanding of Paul’s theology. Here he delivers the heart and essence of the gospel he believed and proclaimed. Paul’s lines reveal that God works in a most peculiar way—first, God works in defiance of the standards of this world as they are understood or construed by humanity, and second, God’s work is powerful so that it incapacitates, reverses, even turns upside down the values of ...

994. The Advent Of Our Lord

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

In years past the third Sunday in Advent was known as Gaudete Sunday. The name came from the Latin form of the first word of the Introit for that day: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice!" In a season which was known for its solemn preparation for Christmas, this Sunday was a little respite from seriousness. The color of the day changed from violet to rose and flowers were allowed on the altar. With the rise of liturgical renewal, Christians have stressed hope rather than repentance as ...

995. Failure Is Not Final

Hosea 2:2-23

Sermon

William L. Self

We are offered wonderful news from the Bible on this eighth Sunday of Epiphany. God has a way of bringing us the very personal lives of his chosen people. We are God's chosen whether we fit the profile of the clergy or as laity -- or, as my family would say, normal people. The story told in Hosea is one of great personal pain and suffering and brokenheartedness on the part of this prophet of God. His beloved wife Gomer leaves his home and hearth for a life of infidelity. She pursues other lovers but soon ...

996. Cain's Sentence

Genesis 4:1-26

Drama

Jerry Eckert

Comment: The story of Cain and Abel tapped into experiences I had had with the criminal justice system in years past, and I set it into a rural Wisconsin county. I told it as a short story, but as I look at it now, I see it as something that could be readily dramatized with the help of individuals and with the help of the whole congregation at one point. The narrator can be an older person. Cain and Abel should be young adult men. The pastor can be him/herself as can some of the other participants such as ...

997. No Particular Place To Go

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

It was the last week of summer when some boys who had spent the summer playing together became restless and bored. School would start the next week and they found themselves not knowing what to do, wearied from all the other summer activities that they had enjoyed. On a hot August afternoon the boys decided to play a round of pitch and putt at a local golf course. At least this would give them something different to do and keep them from complaining to their parents about how bored they were -- which was ...

998. Proper 9

Galatians 6:11-18, Galatians 6:1-10, 1 Kings 21:1-29, Isaiah 66:1-24, Psalm 66:1-20, Luke 10:1-24

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE In 1992, the festival of St. James the Elder will occur on Saturday, July 25th, while the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost will fall on Sunday, July 26th (Thus, in 1993, the feast of St. James the Elder, will be on a Sunday). He is the brother of John, the "beloved disciple," and he was the first of the disciples to be martyred and the only one whose death was recorded in the Bible. Acts 12:2 mentions Herod's persecution of the church, and how he killed James with the sword (and arrested ...

999. Encounters With Christ VI: Jesus and Caiaphas

Matthew 26:57-68

Sermon

James W. Moore

Rev. James W . Moore tells a story about his six-year-old granddaughter Sarah who was visiting some friends of the family. He says: These friends are a wonderful couple who have been happily married for over 40 years. They have just moved into their dream retirement home. They love each other very much, but on this particular day when Sarah was there for her visit with our friends, they were still in the process of moving and arranging furniture. They were trying to move a large chair through a narrow ...

1000. Tempter and Tempted

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Dean Lueking

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' "Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are ...

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