Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1051 to 1075 of 4977 results

1051. Don't Worry, The Light Is Still Burning

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... True, there is no one to bug you. No one to grill you. But there is also no one to ask how things went. There is no one sitting up worrying about whether you get home safely or not. No wonder so many singles willing take on the responsibility of keeping a pet, ensuring that at least Fido, or Fluffy, Tweety or Tinkerbell, Neferkitty or Yo Yo Meow will be there, anxiously waiting for them, happy to greet them, when they come home. It is one thing to feel a bit down when there is nothing but an empty house to ...

1052. Sent to the Lost Sheep

Matthew 10:24-39

Illustration

Samuel Zumwalt

... them to begin to pray for all the people on their card – to place it on the refrigerator or in their Bible as a prominent reminder to pray daily for these people. Then he asked them to invite the people to come to worship, and keep inviting, and keep inviting, and keep inviting. That dying little church suddenly had new life, because the disciples in that little church had been sent to the lost sheep of their community! The Church is not about us. It's about God. God wants to save us from ourselves. God ...

1053. Preach the World and Reach the World

2 Timothy 4:1-5

Sermon

James Merritt

... about a man who had this reputation. They went to hear him and he preached for fifteen minutes. They called him on the spot. The first Sunday he came to be their preacher, he preached for half an hour. Some of the deacons said, "We're going to have to keep an eye on him." The next Sunday he preached for three hours. Well, they called an emergency deacons' meeting and asked him to come and explain himself as to why he was preaching so long. He said, "Well, it's like this. The first Sunday you heard me I had ...

1054. Winners Never Quit and Quitters Never Win (Fruit of the Spirit: Patience)

Galatians 5:22

Sermon

James Merritt

... would just get up in the morning, pull those nails out with pliers, slip on the shoes, and keep on smiling. They put grease on the stove handles. He would just wipe each one off and keep smiling and keep singing all the way. They balanced buckets over the door. When he would open the door he ... would get drenched. He would just simply dry off and never fuss and just keep on smiling. Finally, they became so ashamed of themselves that they called him in one day and they said: "We want ...

1055. How to Lower Your Temper (-ature)

Proverbs 16:32

Sermon

James Merritt

... The Speech Research Unit of Kenyon College has proved, through a series of tests, that when a person is shouted at he cannot help but shout back. They also discovered that you can control another person's tone of voice by your own. They have proven that if you keep your voice soft, not only will you not become angry, you will most likely prevent the other person from becoming angry. Be good, or be gone "Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a ...

1056. What to Remember When You're Having a Bad Hair Day

Romans 8:28

Sermon

James Merritt

... and those who don't. Not everyone who says they love God, truly loves God. Jesus said in Jn. 14:21, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me." In other words, people who truly love God don't just say it, they show it. But the "we" ... on you to work all things out together for my good." He made a promise to God, that he hoped God wouldn't ask him to keep, that if the Viet Cong were to come back, he would tell them the truth. Hours before they were to leave, there was another knock on ...

1057. Whatever It Takes

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Sermon

James Merritt

... children; I will not go out free,' then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever." The Israelites were permitted to keep fellow Jews as slaves for only six years. On the seventh year they were to be set free. But if a Jew voluntarily chose to continue serving as a slave, his master would literally put his ear against the doorpost, take an awl and drive it through that ear ...

1058. The Sin of Silence

1 John 1:9-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... with each other. Sally had a terrible case of bad breath and she always kept mints and mouthwash on hand, and she was careful to keep her mouth shut when she was close to him. On the other hand, Harry had a bad case of smelly feet. He never took his shoes ... a confession. Corrie ten Boom once said, "The blood of Jesus never cleansed an excuse." I want you to remember something. The best way to keep guilt out of your life, is when you sin, get to God with that sin before the devil does. You see, if you don't ...

1059. What to Wear to the War

Ephesians 6:13-17

Sermon

James Merritt

... fight. Attached to the sole of the boot of the Roman soldier were bits of metals or hobnails so that he would have good traction and good footing in case he had to fight on a wet field or a slippery cliff. It was extremely important for a solider to keep his feet because no soldier can fight flat on his back. That's why we are told that we must have our feet "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." Now this peace is the peace that comes from believing the gospel and knowing that Jesus Christ is ...

1060. Battle Stations

Ephesians 6:10-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... better to have a strong soldier in weak armor, than a weak soldier in strong armor. Do you know what the great tragedy is about prayer? It is not unanswered prayer, it is unasked prayer. Now you think about this thought. When we pray, the devil cannot keep God from answering, so he tries to keep us from asking. Now many of you still may not understand why prayer is a battle. But if you will think for just a moment you will realize why prayer is the battle. Who is Satan's war with? Is his war with me or with ...

1061. A Call to Arms

Exodus 17:8-16

Sermon

James Merritt

... are in the ring against the devil or their flesh or the world, but the devil doesn't really need any help because they keep knocking themselves out. Now we are all fighting some battle. Some of you are in a family battle. You're fighting for your ... have to face enemies. It's not bad to have to fight battles. It's not bad to have to wage war. It keeps you vigilant, it keeps you strong, and it keeps you on the alert. But just as we move now from blessing to battle, we move from the blesser to the battler. II ...

1062. When the Pressure Is On

John 6:1-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... at its current rate, that metropolis will be buried under three feet of glass by the year 2024. If beach goers keep returning home with as much sand clinging to them as they do now, 80% of the country's coastline will disappear ... has set His seal on Him." (vv. 25-27) You see, they didn't understand that Jesus did not come primarily to keep their stomachs from growling, but to keep their souls from perishing. You notice it says in v.12, "they were filled." They were satisfied. They didn't want anything ...

1063. Practical Tips For Powerful Prayer

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... A prayer is always sent to God and nowhere else. Jesus urged that most of our prayers be private because He knew the temptation of trying to impress people through public prayers. When we pray in public, we must ask for God’s special help in order to keep ourselves focused on Him. God is not confused by our bad syntax or grammar. He understands every accent, whether it’s a Boston brogue, a Delta drawl, or the clipped lingo of a New York taxi driver. In fact, I understand that New York taxi drivers have ...

1064. Wake Well, Wake Welcome

Romans 13:8-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... two sleeps.” Every 24 hours used to be divided into a day of “work” and a night of “two sleeps.” When the sun set and the warmth left the air, it was time for the “early sleep.” But the demands of keeping a warm house, tending to children, or just keeping an attentive ear out for intruders, necessarily meant this “early sleep” might be brief. After waking from a couple hours of “first sleep,” this gap of time in the midst of the night was a traditional moment for personal prayer and ...

1065. The Paradoxical Power of Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... of Hebrews speaks of him as "a consuming fire." The prophets warn us of his anger and wrath and his inscrutable judgments. Consequently we are well advised to worship him in reverence and awe. And so we should, for God is truly to be feared. He plays for keeps. Nevertheless, if God spoke to us only out of his all-powerful-ness, his omnipotence, who of us could stand? If the explosion of an atomic bomb is just one little sample of the power of God who controls the energy of all atoms, how could we possibly ...

1066. Accepting the Unconventional in Life

Mark 2:13-22

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... is a time for all things. Possibly Jesus was thinking of what is written in the book of Ecclesiastes (3:1, 6): "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven ... a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away...." Jesus realized that one day he would leave this world; that would be the appropriate time for his disciples to fast. Christ saw the tradition and established conventions as serving humans, not the reverse. The Lord's third response to his ...

1067. Where Are You From?

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

David T. Ball

... know. But even the small degree of intimacy that this question suggests signals a turn of much larger significance, from Pilate's initial determination to stay out of the Jesus matter to a willingness, however forced, to be a part of it. He had tried so hard to keep his distance, but every attempt he made to dispose of the matter without killing Jesus had been refused. Faced with no option but to crucify him, he asked him where he was from. Why? It's difficult to say. What we do know is that in the culture ...

1068. From a Distance

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... as working at McDonald's while going to night school, or staying home with pre-school children, or facing last month's rental bill with this month's social security check. Bette Midler recently popularized a remarkable song that speaks about the positive power of keeping a hyperopic focus. All the lyrics are moving, but the second stanza of "From a Distance" is especially poignant and pertinent. From a distance we all have enough and no one is in need. There are no guns, no bombs, no diseases, no hungry ...

1069. Wanted: A Lasting Marriage. Only Good Chemists, Bad mathematicians, Expert Soul-O-Flexors Need Apply

Mark 10:2-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ask why it is some marriages do work, do last, do succeed. The church needs to join in this study and celebration seriously examining what long-lasting Christian marriages seem to have in common and honoring all those couples who have managed to "make it last" while keeping the spirit of love and joy alive in their marriage relationships. When is the last time you left your spouse a love note? Washed your mate's hair? Taken a stroll in the moonlight? Scratched your mate's back? Given a 60-second hug? Sung a ...

1070. The Five Habits of Highly Spiritual Leaders

1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... : 1. Be proactive take initiative, be responsible. 2. Begin with the end in mind envision the outcome you want, while maintaining your values. 3. Put first things first allow your values to discipline your feelings and impulses. 4. Think win/win keep a "no-losers" attitude. 5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood focus on listening, not on replying. 6. Synergize enable more energy to be released than was put in. 7. Sharpen the saw cultivate yourself physically, mentally, socially, emotionally ...

1071. DisArming Christmas

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... has become the boom season for the new arms race. Everyone is vying for the honor of "giving the best present," "spending the most money," "throwing the most fun party." Like the runaway nuclear arms race of the Cold War era, we keep stockpiling those things that we think will protect us from the enemy and position us properly alongside our neighbors. In children, the arms race of consumerism is manifested by Christmas outbreaks of the "gimme, gimme" syndrome "gimme the coolest clothes," "gimme the ...

1072. Be an Energizer Bunny

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... listened only to themselves, they all began to sound alike. The single-line melody prevailed. Paul would decry such a situation as bad theology. For Paul, it is the dissimilarities, even the dissonances between and among all the members of the body of Christ, that keep it vital and alive. It is the mix of sounds and the clash of interpretations that testify to the vitality of the church. The multiplicity of spiritual gifts moving in the midst of the church is a sign of health, not disease. Ever since our ...

1073. Out of the Box Gifts

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... forget the story of Christmas pasts told by an African-American employee at United Theological Seminary library in Dayton, Ohio. When she was a child, her parents allowed all the presents under the tree to be opened. But the children could only pick one to keep. They then had to give to those more needy than themselves the other presents, and they had to give them personally. It wasn’t as if they themselves weren’t needy. But every Christmas they were reminded that they were here not just to provide ...

1074. John 14:23-29

John 14:23-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to talk. He gently clarifies how his presence will remain with his disciples. When Jesus declares, "Those who love me will keep my word," we must remember that in Greek "word" ("logos") encompasses a vast area of meaning. In this particular context, it ... is never greater than the one who has sent him. Since this particular text is focused on Jesus' return to the Father, we should keep in mind that in order for Jesus to leave the Father in the first place, he had to take on fragile human form. Obviously, ...

1075. Bound to Earth, Destined for Heaven

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... with its healing powers and presence and passion. The Lenten season looks forward to Easter. But we should never lose sight of the ground we cover on the way. We walk the earth. Holy Saturday, like every Jewish Sabbath, should be kept holy. How do we keep Holy Saturday “holy?” By living every day as an “Earth Day,” a day to consecrate and celebrate our earthliness, our humanity. How about during Lent this year if you turned your daily coffee breaks into earth breaks: find God in the wonder of the ...

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