Sermon and Worship Resources

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Philippians 4:4

Sermon

King Duncan

... was supposed to read the biblical story about Joseph going to Bethlehem " . . . to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." One of the young mothers recognized that the children could not really understand the English of the King James Version about Mary being great with child, so she switched to the Good News translation. So, as Mary and Joseph entered, the narrator read, "Joseph went to register with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him. She was pregnant." As the last word ...

977. The Greatest Good News Of All

Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... him as King of Kings, Lord of Lords. He emptied himself, he invaded our world, he identified with our situation. AND HE EMBODIED THE PATIENT, SOMETIMES SUFFERING LOVE OF GOD THE FATHER. A Pennsylvania pastor, Dwight A. Moody, was playing a homemade version of the game “Pictionary” with his family. It was Christmas and they were thinking up phrases and themes from the Christmas story which they could represent in drawings. Their nine-year-old daughter, Sarah, drew the difficult phrase, “Glory to God in ...

978. The Things In Mary's Heart

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... could inwardly retire. St. Teresa of Avila called it an "interior castle of the soul" that no cares or fears could storm. Mary, the mother of Jesus, must have had a little interior castle of her own. Luke, in his tender and warm-hearted way, concludes his version of the Christmas story by telling us that Mary "kept these things and pondered them in her heart." What were the things Mary kept in her heart? We can only speculate, of course. But some things seem to jump out from this “the best loved of all ...

979. Some Things To Get Choked Up About

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... replied, "Right now, I understand she is cutting hair." Linda Ellerbee thought somewhat condescendingly, "What would I have in common with a hair dresser?" And she never pursued the relationship. Somewhat later in her career she was in a theater seeing the motion picture version of the hit Broadway musical, HAIR. At the end of the motion picture the credits rolled by and where the movie says, "Edited by . . ." was the name of the young lady her landlady wanted her to meet. When she said she was cutting HAIR ...

980. Congratulations, Joseph, It's A God!

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... to go to the very heart of our faith this morning so that we might start off the New Year with something to hold on to. I want to begin with one last Christmas story. A group of first graders got together and decided to write their own version of the Nativity. It was more modern than the traditional drama. Oh, there were the familiar members of the cast: Joseph, the shepherds, the three wise men, the star and an angel propped up in the background. But Mary was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly from behind some ...

981. Walk With Confidence

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... Put on God's armor and you can defeat any adversary. Remember that hilarious scene in the Old Testament in which young David, the shepherd, is going out to face the giant Goliath. Saul, the king, places upon David his own armorhis breastplate, his sword, his helmet. One version of the Scripture says, "David tried in vain to go." Saul's armor was too heavy! The little fellow couldn't move! So David took Saul's armor off and went out to face Goliath with God's armor. "You come at me with sword and shield," he ...

982. Lesson From A Blind Man

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... of this world, who will not be defeated by their circumstances. Bartimaeus was disadvantaged. He was determined and finally he was discipled. Discipled is a verb we have made out of a noun. We talk about making disciples in the church. The shorthand version is to say that we "disciple" people. Bartimaeus was discipled. Listen to the last few words: "Jesus said to him.`Go your way. Your faith has made you well.' and immediately [Bartimaeus] received his sight and followed Him on the way." Bartimaeus became ...

983. Rushing And Realizing

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... our hearing 100 billion miles into space. This vast and persistent effort at communication with the universe is neither the stuff of science fiction nor the quest of mad scientists. Northeastern University physicist Alan Cromer calls it "the space-age version of communicating with God," but adds that it is "garbled at best." To date, alas, there has been no response from the beyond. Commenting on this attempt at communication with the universe, author David Yount says, "The quest for a conversation ...

984. Out Of Our Control

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... also permitted the flowering of the Elizabethan Agethat golden era that gave us such notables as Shakespeare, John Donne, Francis Bacon, Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, and John Webster. Of course, the climaxing and culminating literary achievement in 1611 was the King James Version of the Bible. (3) There are areas of our life beyond our control and this is good. We simply cannot ever hope to have enough knowledge or enough wisdom to perfectly determine our lives. As someone has wisely said, "If God would ...

985. Vive La Difference

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... had a reputation of being able to use older stars effectively after they had passed their prime. His secret? He sat down with such a player and explained what he expected that player to contribute to the team over the next few years. Frequently, the role was a diminished version of what the player could once have done. However, Red would tell a player, "We have a real need here and you are capable of filling it. If you will focus on what you can still do well, instead of what you once could do, you can help ...

986. I Don't Have Time For A Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... don't care. I want that dining hall filled for that banquet. And his employees did just as they were bid, and that night a festive occasion was had by all those who came to the rehearsal dinner. You recognize that story as an abbreviated and updated version of Jesus' parable in the twenty-second chapter of Matthew. There was a modern day equivalent to that story in the newspapers recently, by the way. Kathleen Gooley was all set for her wedding, had given the caterer a $4,000 non-refundable deposit for the ...

987. A New Way To Escape From Prison

James 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... the Bible in modern translations. King James' English, as beautiful as it is, can be a terrible barrier to understanding. A little girl lost her front teeth and it caused her to talk with a lisp. One day her grandmother was reading to her from her King James version of the Bible. She read such words as `sayeth' and `hath' and `doth' and so on. After a while, the little girl exclaimed, "So God had his teeth out, too!" There's nothing like reading the word in a modern translation to put the teeth back into ...

988. What Makes You Blush?

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... one time, was the most popular and the highest paid entertainer in this country, perhaps in all the world. He was Bob Hope and Garrison Keeler and Steve Martin all rolled into one. He was so popular that when George M. Cohen produced a Broadway version of Ah Wilderness, a part was written just for Rogers -- to take advantage of his popularity. The play was a smashing success. Mysteriously, though, in about the 5th week, the play suddenly closed down. Some faint excuse was given that Rogers was too busy with ...

989. The King Of Ifs

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Richard Andersen

... a prisoner, if I might have my wish I would have no other prison than this library, and be chained together with these good authors."(3) You and I do well to link ourselves to more than books, but to Him who is as Hebrews says in the King James Version, "The Author and Finisher of our faith," (12:2) as well as the King of kings, the Prince of Peace, the Noble Lord and Monarch of Mercy, who turns ifs into reality and wishes into hopes realized. He does not imprison us, but instead sets us free so that we ...

990. Face To Face With The Devil

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... the very beginning ” and so should we. OF COURSE, JESUS WAS NOT ALONE IN HIS CONFRONTATION WITH THE TEMPTOR, AND NEITHER ARE WE. The Psalmist proclaims, "My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." It is interesting that, according to Matthew's version of this story, Jesus resisted Satan with words from taken from Deuteronomy, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God." He was putting Satan on notice that Satan was confronting not simply man's power, but the very power of God. That same power is ...

991. The Salvation Army Parade

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... he told his hosts as they hugged each other at the airport. Olav was very nervous at his first speaking engagement. He had never spoken in English at a public meeting. There was a long awkward moment while he searched for a particular verse of scripture in the English version of the Bible. He began by reading: "Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus... I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron." (Isa. 45: 1,2) There was a ...

992. Victory Over Darkness

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... meaning of Christmas, I hope they do not lose the pure, unadulterated joy that Christmas brings them. A grandmother was reading the Christmas story to her granddaughter. The little girl was just a toddler and grandmother was reading from the King James version of the Bible. The granddaughter was baffled by the phrase, "Mary was great with child." Grandmother did her best to explain. When the little granddaughter finally understood the phrase, she clapped her hands excitedly and said, "Oh, goody! I hope it's ...

993. Angels Announce His Coming

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... letter personally and thanked her for her suggestion. He further added that should his campaign be coming in her vicinity, he would like to meet her to express his appreciation. A television comedy of the 1970s picked up on this amusing story. In the television version the letter from Lincoln spurred a flurry of activity in the girl's town. Her father was a member of the local Republican party. The officials of the party were ecstatic at the prospect of a visit from Lincoln. They saw visions of political ...

994. Setting The Record Straight

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

King Duncan

The Hollywood version of life after death is portrayed in Albert Brooks' movie, "Defending Your Life." Brooks plays the part of Daniel Miller, an advertising man who is killed by a bus. He finds himself in Judgment City along with many other people. They are ushered into the city with all the efficiency ...

995. A Journey To A New Life

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... convinced, simply need that word of reassurance. They need to know that you can begin again. I am amazed at how hopeless some people can get about their lives. Do you know how the great composer Tchaikovsky died? There is more than one version of the story but according to one reliable source the end of Tchaikovsky's life was determined four days after one of his symphonies received an unfavorable reception in St. Petersburg. The great composer, despondent some said, already feeling ill according to others ...

996. Dressed For The Wedding

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... on his side of the closet. As he pulled a sweater out of the pile, he realized the "new Lyn" had arrived. So what if he had to make a major presentation later that day? They'd just have to get used to a wilder and crazier version of the conservative guy they had become so familiar with. He returned home that night wearing his new sweater and proudly reporting on the success of his big presentation. But Esther looked stricken. "You didn't wear that, did you?" she asked, meaning the sweater. "Sure, why ...

997. Living With The Birth Pangs

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

King Duncan

... exactly when the world began. He did it by consulting Scripture. By tracing the begats and other chronological data in the Bible, he deduced that the world was created in 4004 B.C. Some of our older members may remember when it was common practice for King James versions of the Bible to carry a notation in the margin of the first chapter of Genesis that the world was created in 4004. Now add 4004 to 1996, and what do you get? That's right. Exactly 6000 years. Now remember that the world was created in six ...

998. Show Me The Fish!

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... astonished by his goodness to us. And then this daily walk gradually transforms us into the likeness of Christ. Max Anders, in his book titled GOD gives one of the most powerful analogies of this progression that I have ever read. He says that in the 1940 version of The Mark of Zorro, there is a remarkable "chase" scene in which Zorro is fleeing in the dead of night from a band of Spanish army officers. He is dressed in black, and his horse, of course, is jet black. Racing at breakneck speed through woods ...

999. Finishing In The Top 10%

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... Samaritans, he chews out his disciples, and later makes a hated Samaritan the hero of his parable about the Good Samaritan. And now in this story, we'll learn of another Samaritan, who in his gratitude for healing becomes another hero! The New International Version of the Bible gives the best translation of this story because of what it says about these men with leprosy. Other Bible translations simply call them "lepers," while the NIV captures Jesus' spirit by referring to them not as lepers but as "men ...

1000. What Would It Take?

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... it." (5) How have your priorities changed since you gave your life to Christ? William Manson spoke a challenging word concerning the nature of the Christian life. He said, "The life the Christian is called to live with Christ is not simply an improved version or expansion of the life of the past, but a contradiction of that former life." (6) Are you the same person you were before you met Christ? Do you value the same things? Are your energies and attentions fragmented among a million different concerns ...

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