Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1026 to 1050 of 2157 results

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... isn't sure of his or her own acceptance or approval. John 3:17, "The Son came into the world not to condemn he world but that the world through him might be saved." I like the way Clarence Jordan translated II Corinthians 5:17-18 in his COTTON PATCH VERSION OF THE EPISTLES: "God was in Christ hugging the world to Himself. He has bridged the gap between Himself and us and has given us the job of bridging the gaps. He no longer keeps track of (our sins) and has planted in us His concern for getting together ...

1027. Where Heaven And Earth Meet

Genesis 28:10-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... once in a while you hear someone tell about a dream that radically affected them. One night, Pastor Richard Exley dreamed that he was twins. Exley dreamed that one twin was the normal Richard Exley, and the other twin was a tall, muscle-bound, giant version of Richard Exley. In the dream, the giant Richard was attempting to kill the normal Richard. Exley awoke from the dream in a panic. He discerned that the muscle-bound Richard in his dream represented his ego and his ambitions. They were threatening to ...

1028. Why Shepherds?

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... good fortune in that way. Talk about timing. On a hillside. Minding their own business, watching their sheep. Vigilant. Alert. Always prepared in case a wild animal attacked their sheep. When suddenly they were startled by the swish of an angel’s wing. The King James version tells the story like this: “Lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of ...

1029. I Say, Rejoice!

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... Greek word (epieikeia) that is translated gentleness here. Other translations of the Bible translate epieikeia as patience, softness, modesty, forbearance, magnanimity. It is not the gentleness that comes from weakness, but from an internal source of strength. This is the Pauline version, says one scholar, of 1 Peter 2:23, which says of Christ: “when they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (2 ...

1030. A Way Made Ready

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Darrick Acre

... sun reflecting off the water, the birds flying through the air. He can see! What I want us to catch, however, is this. When Bartimaeus sees, and Jesus turns to resume His trek to Jerusalem, Bartimaeus follows Jesus “on the way,” as the Revised Standard Version translates. In doing so, Bartimaeus shows he understands something we often miss. He can’t just experience the grace of Jesus, receive His coming, and then let Him pass by! He has to follow Jesus on the way, on the way to Jerusalem, on the way ...

1031. Believing Isn’t Easy

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... of Communism, the Christian Church is still strong in both the Soviet Union and China; but I am speaking of the fact that in a sense, Communism itself is a religion: with an Old Testament written by Karl Marx, a New Testament by Lenin, and a revised version by Comrade Gorbachev. The recent problems in China and Russia have begun to shatter many peoples faith in Communism, but it is still a faith which holds and is held by millions. Tourists who visit the tomb of Lenin in Red Square in Moscow come back to ...

1032. What the Heck Is Sin?

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... be damned first! And he was! Jesus never said that we would be forgiven if we repent. Not at all. What He said was that we would be forgiven if we forgive. That is made clear in the original text of the Lords Prayer. While St. Lukes version reads, forgive us our sins, as we forgive everyone who is indebted to us., (Luke 11:4) Matthew, in an earlier Gospel, puts in an additional sentence: ..if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; But if you do not forgive men their ...

1033. What’s the Good Word?

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... way. Mark, which we believe to be the earliest to have been written, identifies the beginning of the Good News of God’s love in Jesus Christ with the prophetic preaching of John the Baptizer. As for Matthew and Luke, each tells his own version of the Nativity story in a narrative form, with Matthew tracing Jesus’ genealogy back to Abraham, the first Hebrew. Luke betrays his Gentile background by tracing Jesus’ genealogy back to Adam, the first human being. But they both begin with long and complicated ...

1034. What about Spiritual Healing?

John 4:43-54

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... it perhaps more than Jesus’ own people did! Of this man Jesus could well have said what the other Gospels report Him saying to another Roman official from Capernaum, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” (Luke 7:9) (Or is this another version of the same story?) Some years ago Hollywood came out with a magnificent movie on the life of Gandhi, that spiritual giant of man from India. When I saw it, I remember being struck by the ironic fact that the one person who has come closest to ...

1035. To Who Can We Go?

John 6:60-71

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... then, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69) This seems to be John’s version of Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are ...

1036. Doors Are for Entering

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

“I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” (John 10:9) That’s the way the New Revised Version translates the more familiar words of Jesus, “I am the door.” Let us consider these words in the light of the customs and pastoral imagery of Jesus’ day to see if new light can be shed upon them. We might begin by considering a Palestinian shepherd. In the East, the ...

1037. Some Said It Thundered

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... on the basis of a two-day visit, thirty years ago, to Cambridge!” I have known some supposedly enlightened people whose rejection of religion rests on just such a flimsy foundation. They are still living as adults on the basis of a rejection of a kindergarten version of the Christian Faith which they probably misunderstood in the first place! Let’s face it: we are not very good at listening. Probably because we are so busy talking. And to be open to what the Bible calls the “Still, small voice of God ...

1038. Is Conscience the Best Guide?

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... found that nothing is quite so rare as "common" sense.) 2.) Submit the matter to the test of sportsmanship. Ask yourself, "Is this the way I would like to be treated?" (Note: this sounds like the Golden Rule. However, most folks seem to observe a cynical version of the Golden Rule which says: "Those who have the gold, make the rules.") 3.) Submit the question to the test of your best self. "Does this check out with who I really am and I really stand for in life?" (Good question.) 4.) Submit the question ...

1039. Whatever became of Kingdomtide?

John 16:17-33

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... opposition. Why should we expect otherwise, for our Lord told us plainly in John 16:33: “In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” “In the world you face persecution,” says Jesus in the New Revised Standard Version. Most of us are more familiar with the older translations which say, “in the world you will have tribulation.” Most of us can say “amen!” to that. The Greek word is thlipsin which literally means “affliction.” It is not hard for any of ...

1040. The Huddle Is Not the Game

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... to proclaim the good news of God’s redeeming love in Jesus Christ, through living words and loving deeds. What a change would take place in our churches if we would only wake up to that reality! When ministers meet to compare notes, they often get into a version of an old-time radio program called “Can You Top This?” In that program, each panelist told a joke and the others had to try to top it with a funnier one. In the case of clergy, what is usually compared is church membership statistics. Then ...

1041. God Doesn’t Take Vacations

John 5:1-15

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... did I know that the author of the poem was not anonymous, but was a man named Wilferd Peterson of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who happened to be listening to the sermon on the radio that morning. I received a gracious note from him, along with a finely printed version of that prayer, with which I close this sermon. It goes like this: Slow me down, Lord! Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time. Give me, amidst the confusion of ...

1042. That Would Be Some Miracle!

John 6:1-15

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... by the famous preacher-novelist Lloyd C. Douglas, author of “The Robe.” In his novel about Simon Peter titled “The Big Fisherman,” he describes what happened in a very simple way. I suggest that you dig out that old volume and look up his version of the fellowship meal along the seaside. He describes the scene most vividly, and paints his word-picture in an unforgettable manner. In his view, the crowd following Jesus was not as stupid as Kenneth Foreman suggested. They knew that they would be away ...

1043. Only the Neighbors’ Kid

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) I like the older translation better: “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” - but there is stronger textual support for the new version of His words. In a sense, this was Jesus’ declaration of independence from His parents. Sooner or later it comes to all of us. That child of ours, that little boy or girl soon is little no longer, and each must strike out on his or her own, and ...

1044. Slippery Rock

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... heard Jesus saying to him: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church...” (Matt. 16:18) I. OVER THE CENTURIES, A DEBATE HAS RAGED OVER THAT VERSE. Here is where footnotes come in handy. If you check your Revised Standard Version, you find that the Greek word used for the man Peter, Petros, is different from the word in the phrase “On this rock,” which is petra. The two words are different, and the sentence is a play on words. Scholars tell us that petra denotes “a mass ...

1045. An Unpopular Profession

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... we take for granted, but which, when you compare the Gospels, are unique to Matthew. And for that, we are everlastingly in his debt. Mark’s Gospel, we believe, was written first, but his Gospel is “bare-bones,” the “Reader’s Digest Condensed Version.” Matthew puts flesh on those bones. Perhaps that is why, when it came time for the Church to gather the Gospels together in one collection, Matthew’s placed first. IV. IN ADDITION, MATTHEW’S IS THE ONLY INDIVIDUAL CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP WE FIND ...

1046. One Bad Apple

Matthew 26:47-56

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... enemies and led them to the Garden of Gethsemane to find Jesus and arrest Him. After he had done the dirty deed, there would have been no reason for him to stick around, but he seems to have stayed around to see what would happen. There are several versions of what he did in the New Testament, the most plausible of which is that he gave the money back, saying that he had shed innocent blood, and then went out and hanged himself. Interestingly enough, there is a tradition in the early church that his suicide ...

1047. Secretary to Saint Peter

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... at 16:8. We know that for two reasons. One, the verses which follow are not in any of the great early manuscripts. Two, the style of Greek is so different that they cannot have been written by the same person. In some editions of the Revised Standard Version they are in small italics at the end. But the Gospel cannot have been meant to stop there—for they were afraid. That is no place to stop. What happened? It may be that Mark died, perhaps as a martyr, before he could complete the Gospel. More likely ...

1048. The Chicken or the Egg

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... message of repentance must always be part of the church’s message. But we must come to a proper understanding of what it means. As most of you know, I grew up in pre-Vatican II Roman Catholicism, and what Bible there was, was the “Douay version.” It translated the Greek word METANOIA (repent) as do penance. But, like the pastor who wondered whether he was absolutely repentant or only marginally repentant, how can one ever know whether one had done enough penance? Just in case, I stored up all sorts of ...

1049. Jesus and the Baptists

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... sure about, but when the teacher said that Jesus was a Jew she responded, “Maybe Jesus was a Jew, but God is a Baptist!” Of course, God isn’t a Baptist; and neither was John the Baptist, for that matter. That is why the Revised Standard Version calls him “John the Baptizer”...to avoid such confusion (I only used the title in today’s sermon to try to pique people’s curiosity.) The reference is not to any of our modern-day denominations, such as the Methodists and the Baptists. My sermon has ...

1050. The Lord's Pryaer: Our Daily Bread

Matthew 6:5-13

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... speaker--but she did something this conscious nature could not forget. She took one sentence and translated it into 53 different languages. Dr. Craddock, being a learned man, could partially understand an occasional word. The gathering listened attentively, and then after 52 versions, she shared the sentence with tears running down her cheeks, and a hurt expression on her face: "Mommy, I am hungry. Why don''t we have any food?" That afternoon on his way back to Atlanta, Dr. Craddock passed a billboard on ...

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