Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1026 to 1050 of 4963 results

1026. 1 Peter 1:17-23

1 Peter 1:17-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... emphasizes both individual responsibility and communal attitudes by shifting the discussion from eschatology to ethics and back again. The verses immediately preceding our assigned texts (vv.13-16) look at the ethical implications of the eschatological hope spoken of in vv. 3-12. This "living hope" demands an equally vital response from all believers. 1 Peter encapsulates this ethical mandate with a general call to holiness on the part of the faithful. Verse 17 proposes an attitude of "reverent fear" as a ...

1027. Looking at the World through the Eyes of God

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

... all the advances that mankind has made there were very dark days that lie ahead. The age of enlightenment promised through science, medicine, industry to usher mankind into a utopian society. Indeed it looked like it might actually happen and then WWI slipped in to dash these hopes. Nationalism reared its ugly head and brought man's head down in shame. The thought then after the war was that it was the war to end all wars. One last final dying breath of man's inhumanity to man. We had gotten it out of our ...

1028. Proper 6

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Mark 4:30-34, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, Mark 4:26-29, 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... of God is in the seed v. 31. Old Testament: 1 Samuel 15:34--16:13 1. Is God sorry over you? (15:35). Need: Every person hopes that it will not be said of him: "The Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel." Jesus said of Judas: "It would have ... To have faith faith in the growth and victory of God's kingdom. b. To have courage to act in the light of faith. c. To have hope for a solution to our problems, for better days ahead. 2. What is the purpose of life? (5:19) "We make it our aim to please him ...

1029. Proper 12

Genesis 28:10-22, Psalm 139:1-24, Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43, Romans 8:12-25

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... rich indeed. Your Spirit is poured out in generous measure on your church. Receive the worship we offer you in the Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen PRAYER OF CONFESSION God of long range planning, God involved in human history, God who saves us in hope, we confess that we are impatient with your timing. We want immediate judgement on the sins of others, though not on our own. The time of our own suffering seems endless, but the duration of deprivation for others we can shrug off. We want instant ...

1030. Easter 2

Psalm 16:1-11, John 20:19-31, Acts 2:14a, 22-32, 1 Peter 1:3-9

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... will test our faith soon enough, and we need a strong faith to sustain us; in the living Lord. Amen Declaration of Pardon Pastor: Friends, hear the Good News! God has given us a new birth. People: With great mercy God has given us a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Pastor: Friends, believe the Good News! People: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Exhortation Trust the Christ you cannot see and love him with joy beyond words for that faith brings at last the salvation of ...

1031. Israel: The World’s Invincible Nation

Jeremiah 23:2, 7-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... is exactly what Paul tells us in Rom. 11:26, "So all Israel will be saved." Do you know what the National Anthem of Israel is? It is a song entitled, ha'Tikvah. You know what those words mean? They literally mean "The hope." I find that very ironic because the only hope for Israel is the only hope for the world, and his name is Jesus. You may be sitting there saying, "What does all of this have to do with me? Just this: If the Jewish people, God's chosen people, need Jesus, so do you. Whether you are a ...

1032. Only the Lonely

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... words, we need to look at the full text of Luke 14:1, 7-14. That involves looking at three other words: humility, hospitality, and hope. Humility The inciting incident in our story is that guests at a party started to take places of honor. Jesus told them a parable ... lost and lonely. Thus we are all hopeless when it comes to the ultimate relationship of life: the relationship with God. There is hope for the hopeless because Jesus died on the cross to give us the status of the children of God. But only those ...

1033. Weary in Well Doing

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... to walk around in the dark anymore, perhaps what we need to do is work on our sense of urgency. Like a great ball player, we may have to learn to want to win the game again. We may have to yield the shields that protect us from hope — and hope again. Let them go! Being lit is magnificent. It is the antidote to weariness. Getting beyond weariness in well doing is often a matter of catching the right bug and eliminating the wrong ones. At both the conscious and the unconscious level, these days, many of us ...

1034. An Invitation to Joy

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... crane flying from her fingertips. Inscribed on the base are these words: "This is our cry, This is our prayer, Peace in the world." People continue to place paper cranes at the base of the statue to recall the tragedy of war and to celebrate humanity's undying hope for peace.3 This season is all about peace, a commodity that has always been in short supply in our world. We're not merely talking about the absence of conflict, but rather the calming inner certainty that all is well. This peace is born out of ...

1035. A Little Town of Great Renown

Micah 5:2-5a

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... is born and laid in a manger, a child who will grow strong in faith and in obedience to God. He will love and heal, teach and mentor. He will die our death, and in return, give us the greatest of gifts, everlasting life. Hope in the Messiah is a hope for peace, and the prophet Micah is celebrated for his vision of peace. Micah explains that, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift sword against nation, and never again will they train for war ...

1036. Tales of the Spiritually Stupid

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 18-22

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... In later years, after terrors foreseen by Jeremiah had come to pass, a devastated people looked back through pain and sorrow. It was Jeremiah who helped them make sense of it all and it was his words, which inspired hope in Yahweh's redemptive power. This we profess above all else: Redemption is God's specialty. "For God so loved the world, he gave his only Son," the Bible says. When all the hatred and fear and corruption in the human arsenal had been inflicted upon the Son of God ...

1037. Saintly Visions!

Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... this book gave to those struggling in the vineyards of God's creation so long ago. Daniel's book has many visions that may seem out of place, but the promise at the end of today's reading, specifically verse 18, shines forth as a verse of hope and a future filled with possibilities: "But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever — forever and ever." We, like those who lived in the time of Daniel, live in an uncertain world. People look ...

1038. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Luke 23:32-46

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of his sin filled soul bringing mercy, grace and forgiveness. And when we look at Jesus' treatment of the Repentant Thief, it gives all of us hope. It reminds us that it's never too late. We shouldn't put it off, but it's never too late to give your life to ... chose not to hear the invitation and the release offered in those words. He chose to refuse the invitation and cut himself off from the hope Jesus brought and offered even from the cross while He was dying. The Bad News for us is that it's still up to us ...

1039. Living In The Spirit Of Joy

Galatians 5:22-25, Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... a power in your life. Without Him all of our efforts turn to ashes and our sunrises into darkest nights. Without Him life is a meaningless drama with the decisive scenes missing. But with Him we are able to rise from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope. With Him we are able to rise from the midnight of desperation to the daybreak of joy. St. Augustine was right, we were made for God and we will be restless until we find rest in Him." (2). Be Surprised by the Gift of Joy through Joyful Obedience ...

1040. Joshua People Study

Joshua 1:7-8, Psalm 119:10-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Christ. This is the third in our series titled "The Joshua Principles. We talked about how Joshua People Always Look Forward With Hope. Last week we talked about how Joshua People Obey and Serve. Today I want us to look at the third Joshua Principle: ... some of you are you're probably thinking, you graduated from high school and college and maybe grad school and thought to yourself, "I hope I never have to study for anything ever again." Well, I'm not talking about that kind of study. When I talk about study ...

1041. Choosing The Right Gift

John 1:1-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... part, that "We are NOT Alone." And in a world filled with loneliness and despair, fueled by abject poverty, hunger and disease, the terrorist threat of attack and war, we need to hear that "We Are NOT Alone." God wants us to remember and know that there IS Hope. There is Forgiveness. There is Grace. There is Redemption. And it all comes through this Gift which God has Chosen for us. This gift which allows and affirms without a shadow of a doubt that we ARE The Children of God. We have to make sure that the ...

1042. The Character Of Christmas; Herod: The Not So Great

Matthew 2:13-22

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . And yet this child grows to become the King of Kings, the one who overcomes both sin and death. The Savior who gives us hope, offers us eternal life and bought the forgiveness of our sins through the cross. The story of the birth of this baby who Herod ... more time.'" (4) You see, we need Jesus. We need what Jesus did for us and does for us each and every day. We need the Hope only He can bring. We need the Forgiveness that only He can offer. We need the Unconditional Love that only He can share. We need the ...

1043. It's Everybody's Business

John 1:35-51

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... girl I wanted to dance with the most, would have danced with me. It turned out, that out of all the boys at the dance, she was hoping that I'd ask her to dance. I really felt dumb. Because all I had to do was ask. C. For the most part, that's ... life in Christ. We're called to invite others to experience the love of God and the dance of faith. We have a wonderful message, full of hope and acceptance; a message full of the future. God loves us so much that God sent His only Son to give his life for us. God sent ...

1044. Show and Tell

Mark 1:16-22

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... abandon us when we did wrong. God's love for us is so deep, God sent his only son, who gave his life on the cross for us. 5. The hope given because of life after death. Christianity is the only religion which offers the hope and promise of resurrection. I don't know how I'd face death or help others face death without the gift and promise and hope of the resurrection. That one day, we will be raised to life eternal 6. My own personal experience. And then share how this has impacted you. (4) The invitation ...

1045. Harmony and Humor: The Ties That Bind Christianity’s Many Christianities

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to Be When the Saints Go Sneaking In Sit Up, Sit Up for Jesus A Comfy Mattress Is Our God Oh, for a Couple of Tongues to Sing Amazing Grace, How Interesting the Sound Lord, Keep Us Loosely Connected to Your Word Praise God from whom All Affirmations Flow My Hope Is Built on Nothing Much O, God, Our Enabler in Ages Past Pillow of Ages, Fluffed for Me All Hail the Influence of Jesus' Name! When Peace, Like a Trickle I'm Fairly Certain that My Redeemer Lives What an Acquaintance We Have in Jesus My Faith Looks ...

1046. Discover the Surprise of Christmas

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... And we have to make sure that we focus on the gift of God's Grace that we so desperately need. We have to stay focused because the Gift of the Christ Child changes everything. This child changes lives. He offers us the gift of new life. The gift of hope and purpose and direction. And I can honestly say that no other gift I've ever received at Christmas has ever done that for me. Conclusion Christmas changes everything and the one thing that it has to change the most is us. That's God's desire. Jesus came to ...

1047. God's Whatever

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... going to listen to me anyway, or if you do, what are the chances you'll understand what I'm saying? Whatever!" There's a lack of hope and a I could care less attitude. I don't know where it comes from. I'm not sure the professionals even know. But we're living ... their treatments and doctor's appointments exemplifies “God’s Whatever" being lived out in their lives. D.[SHOW CLIP: Harvest of Hope] According to the USDA, more than 3,000 pounds of food per second is wasted in the United States. They also ...

1048. Will 2012 Be the End of the World?

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... the Experience of the Past Million Years? The chief character of Vonnegut’s book is anxious to read this mysterious book. But when he does, he finds that it doesn’t take long. The whole book consists of one word: “Nothing.” (2) What can a thoughtful man hope for mankind on earth, given the experience of the past million years? Nothing. This is a scary world, but this is also God’s world. Here is the good news for the day. Ultimately God is in control of this world’s destiny. Humanity can despoil ...

1049. Pursue the Life That Really Is Life

1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... relationship and Faith is seeking to put that relationship into action in our everyday lives. You see not everyone who has been given Righteousness or even spends time trying to be Godly lives the faith. In Hebrews 11 Paul writes: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Faith is believing God's promises and setting out to do great things in God's name. This church was built by people of faith. A faithful person is one who is actively engaged in the work of God's ...

1050. Why Doesn’t God Do Away With Evil?

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... do for you today? Do you want Him to give you new birth, to come through in a crisis, to give some word of hope in the wilderness of temptation? God makes a good delivery every time. Betty Hutton was a famous movie star and huge box office attraction ... a good and powerful God put up with evil? By faith I answer, God has not. By faith I affirm, God does not. By faith I have hope, God will not. God is in Christ, overcoming evil with good. God is in us, delivering us from the evil one. God is in eternity where ...

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