Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1026 to 1050 of 4936 results

1026. The Wonderful "T" Word

Malachi 3:6-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

A small country church had a tough decision to make. Its leaders had met after the worship hour to decide whether to renovate the existing church building or construct a new one. There was only one wealthy person in the church; everybody knew that he would have the last word. Finally he stood up and declared, "I think we ought to renovate our present building. I pledge $5000 to that effort." Then he sat down. He was a large, overweight gentleman and when he sat down, he shook a piece of plaster loose from ...

1027. Maker's Mark

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It was a typical off-island family outing. A trip to the mall, a stop at a fast-food restaurant: then pick up some pet food at the farm-supply store, and finally an appointment at the tattoo and piercing parlor. WHAT?! Yes, that was the family-day itinerary of one young family we know here on our little island. The mom and daughter both decided to get an eyebrow ring together. The dad got a new tattoo on his shoulder. For them it was a fun way to share time together and enjoy common interests as a family. ...

1028. A Stone’s Throw Away

1 Samuel 17

Sermon

James Merritt

Anyone who knows anything about the Bible knows that beyond question, the central character and the hero of the entire Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ. With the exception of Jesus Christ, one individual has more scripture devoted to Him than any other individual. Would you know who that is? Hint: It is neither Paul nor Moses. This character is mentioned in I and II Samuel, I Kings, I Chronicles, and seventy-five psalms. He is the first person named in the New Testament after Jesus Christ and he is the last ...

1029. Honor Graduate

Exodus 20:12

Sermon

James Merritt

To be an honor graduate is considered quite an accomplishment. These honors, as you know, are in Latin and they are used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree is earned. There are typically three types of Latin honors in order of increasing level of honor. They are: Cum Laude (with honor), Magna Cum Laude (with great honor) and Summa Cum Laude (with highest honor). One of my goals when I went to college was to be an honor graduate. I didn't want to get an ordinary ...

1030. RSVP—By Invitation Only

Luke 14:15-24

Sermon

James Merritt

Several years ago a book came out entitled "The Greatest Story Ever Told". I am sure that millions of people knew the subject of the book before they even opened its pages. Because it was the story of Jesus Christ. Quite frankly, the greatest story ever told is the story of how God the Son left heaven and came to earth in the form of human flesh, lived a human life, died a human death, was raised from the dead supernaturally that He might come and live in the hearts of those who would receive Him by faith ...

1031. Love One Another

1 John 3:11-24

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

Loving One Another Verses 11–18 are unified by the theme of loving one another. Love among the members of the community was first raised in 1 John 2:10 (as love for one’s “brother” or sister) and was the link into this section of the letter in 3:10b. The background to this emphasis on love is the schism which has divided the community (1 John 2:19) and has set former community members against one another. The schismatics have shown a flagrant, Cain-like disregard for their fellow believers. The Elder is ...

1032. Love Without Limits

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

The epitaph on the grave of Albert Camus, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957, reads: "Here I understand what they call glory: the right to love without limits." In our gospel lesson we see two people who love without limits. Neither of them seem very glorious. One is a tired itinerant preacher named Jesus. The other is a woman who has no name -- only a racial designation: a Canaanite woman. "Canaanite" was to the Jews of Jesus' time what "Native American" is to the majority of North Americans. ...

1033. When Christians Disappoint

Acts 5:1-11

Sermon

Erskine White

How is it you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to us but to God. (Acts 1:4) We would like to think that we Christians are always theChristians we are supposed to be, but of course, it isn't true.We would like to think that the church is always the faithfulChristian community it is meant to be, but of course, that isn'ttrue either. Sometimes it's awfully easy to be disappointed inChristians and in the church as well. It's awfully easy to findChristians and churches which give ...

1034. When is Patriotism An Idol?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

George Johnson

Almost everyone who has been brought up in the church has heard of the "taxes to Caesar" story. "Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?" they asked Jesus. Allegiance to the empire and to God is the issue. Jesus' patriotism is being called into question. I want to talk to you about when patriotism becomes an idol. The setting is important. It was toward the end of Jesus' ministry, just before his death. His vision was focused. He was going to Jerusalem. There he would be confronted with life and death issues. ...

1035. The Pitfalls Of Practicing Piety

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

Sermon

John M. Braaten

I have never liked the word "beware." It always seems to be written in intimidating block letters which suggest life-threatening consequences. The word brings to mind an experience I had as a 12-year-old paperboy. Entering a customer's yard I encountered a collie which, without provocation, charged me with fangs bared, knocking off my glasses and hurling me to the ground. I still remember its moist, rancid breath in my face. Hearing my screams, neighbors came and rescued me. That event not only changed my ...

1036. Proper 18

Lk 14:25-33 · Eze 33:1-11 · Phm 1-20 · Prov 9:8-12

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Ezekiel 33:1-11 The watchman saves his life by giving God's warning to the wicked in the hope that the wicked will repent and live. The setting for this pericope is the defense alarm system of Ezekiel's day. A watchman was posted on a hill to warn the city by blowing a trumpet when an enemy approached. This gave the people in the fields an opportunity to come into the walled city for protection. If the watchman failed to warn, he was responsible for the death of those killed by the invaders. On ...

1037. "It’s Time to Send Christmas Cards"

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Peter Rudowski

By now I would suspect that all of us have received a good number of Christmas cards. They come with regularity in these last days before the great holidays. All of us have a traditional way of dealing with those Christmas cards. In our family we put the cards in a decorative bowl. The cards are there for us to go through whenever we want. There are other traditions as well. As I visit in your homes, I notice some of you tape your cards around doors in order to frame them. Others put cards on mantels. ...

1038. Invitation to a New Life-Style

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Pentecost VII "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." [Matthew 11:28-30] In his book, The Greening of America, Charles Reich claims that we are living during a transition from one age to another, from Consciousness II to Consciousness III, from the quantity of life to the quality of life, from things to values, ...

1039. Waiting

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

We modern people hate to wait. In our busy-busy, get-ahead, world waiting is a waste of time. After all, he who hesitates is lost. We must be "firstest with the mostest"; and, if the situation is not ready for us to be firstest, then we manipulate things to make it ready. Yet, before we go farther with these attitudes we all share, let us stop to consider that there are many good reasons for waiting. Let’s look and see. We wait for paint to dry. When we do not wait, the second coat bleeds through and we ...

1040. Beginning Again

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Two men are leaning against the office water cooler. One says to the other, "Say, you look depressed. What are you thinking about?" "My future," his friend sighed. "What makes your future look so hopeless?" the first man asked. "My past," he replied. (1) Don't you wish you could be a fly on the wall for the rest of that conversation! I'd like to know what regrets from that man's past were stealing away his hope for the future. A few months back, there was a particularly sad letter in the Billy Graham ...

1041. At The Fork In The Road

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In his book, Invitation to Pilgrimage, John Bailey wrote, "I am sure that the bit of road that most requires to be illuminated is the point where it forks." (Charles Scribner's and Sons, 1942, p. 8) He's right, isn't he? There's no place on our life's journey where we need more light than when we come to some crucial fork in the road and have to make a decision as to which direction we are going to go. Do you remember the story of the woman who was trying to get into a parking space in a heavily congested ...

1042. Follow Me!

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

James McCormick

It was the beginning of new life for Peter and Andrew on that day, by the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus tapped them on the shoulder and said, “Come, follow me.” And, what an opportunity he gave to Matthew, the tax collector, when he issued the invitation to him, “Matthew, come, follow me.” Those three, and the other nine disciples all answered, “Yes.” But there were others who heard the call and said, “No.” There were those balking inquirers who responded with excuses, “I’ve just gotten married,” or “Let me ...

1043. Proper 16

Exodus 1:1-22, Matthew 16:13-20, Romans 12:1-8, Psalm 124:1-8

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Exodus 1:8-2:10 contains three stories that explore the power of salvation, while Psalm 124 turns the insights gained from the introductory stories in Exodus into the language of praise. Exodus 1:8--2:10 - "The Salvation of the Savior" Setting. Moses is the central human character in the book of Exodus and, indeed, in the remainder of the Pentateuch. He is the one called by God to be the savior. With this knowledge as background, it is easy to conclude that the central event in the Old ...

1044. God Is Pro-Life

Exodus 20:13

Sermon

James Merritt

I read in the paper last week a fascinating article by a woman named Naomi Wolfe. She is an unabashed, avowed, feminist. The title of the article was: "A call for truth." The byline of the article was: "Pro-choice advocates should defend abortion honestly, says a prominent feminist author." I want to share with you just a part of this article: At its best feminism defends its moral high ground by being simply faithful to the truth to women's real-life experiences. But to its own ethical and political ...

1045. Once Save - Always Saved

John 10:27-29

Sermon

James Merritt

There was a man who lived in a small southern town, and after twenty years of shaving himself every morning, he decided he had had enough. He told his wife he wanted to go down to the local barber, just for once, and get shaved himself. When he put on his hat and coat, went to the barbershop, which was owned by the pastor of the Baptist church, the barber's wife, whose name was Grace, was working, so she is the one that shaved him. After she shaved him she said, "That will be $20." Well, he thought the ...

1046. One Nation Under God

2 Chronicles 7:14

Sermon

James Merritt

When Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States, he and Nancy had to get used to the Executive Mansion on their own. President Carter had broken with recent tradition and had not given the Reagans a tour of the White House. If you remember, during those days it was a difficult campaign with Carter and Reagan both bitterly fighting out what was to be a runaway election landslide for Reagan. The Carters greeted the Reagans a few days before the Inauguration, and then turned them over to White ...

1047. Member Means Minister

Ephesians 4:11-12

Sermon

James Merritt

I asked my wife, Teresa, one time "How many great preachers in the world do you think there are?" She said, "One less than you think there is!" I want to ask you a question. What is the secret to greatness? If you went to Wall Street and asked the question, "What is the secret to greatness?" Wall Street would say, "Money and lots of it." If you were to go to Washington and ask, "What is the secret to greatness?" Washington would say, "Political clout and a lot of it." If you were to go to Hollywood and ask ...

1048. Doing Our Best

Romans 12: 1-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Once to every man and nation Comes a moment to decide In the strife of truth with falsehood For the good or evil side. In the wake of worldwide terror, I have wondered aloud and pondered deeply what the leadership role of the church should be in a time such as this. Should we push forward or pull back? Should we unveil a new vision for this congregation or wait for a better day? I have asked many of you to give us some guidance. You have said to me without exception, “Howard, the Church is needed now more ...

1049. Going Home

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Argile Smith

At the end of a long trip, home always looks appealing! Turning the corner and seeing the house you left days or weeks earlier can sometimes provide the best snapshot of the whole trip. The word home has a pleasant ring to it, and it’s a particularly beautiful word to hear after being away from it for a while. While such an assertion makes sense after a weeklong vacation at a theme park, it makes even more sense after the long journey called life. For Christians, coming to the end of life’s journey doesn’t ...

1050. Getting to a Teachable Moment

Mark 15:1-15

Sermon

Craig MacCreary

I spent part of a recent Sunday talking with a public school teacher who was quickly coming to the end of her rope. Talented, dedicated, one of the good people, she found herself with the class from hell and her life coming apart at the seams. We were well beyond being a non-anxious, fully individuated, differentiated presence. In short, we were at critical mess rather than critical mass. I have taught enough confirmation classes and have had experiences in the classroom in other forums to identify with ...

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