Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1051 to 1075 of 4884 results

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... me. "Young as I was, though, I had known for a long time a that the catalog lied. I knew that under those fancy clothes there had to be scars, there had to be blemishes and malformations of one kind or the other because there are no perfect human beings." (Donald J. Shelby, "God Rides the Lame Horse", February 6, 1983). Harry Crews is right, and deep down we know it. "Have you ever felt like Peter or Paul: Inadequate, unloved, embarrassed, unworthy, unsure? I have. Such feelings overcome me when I stand in ...

1052. A Cloud of Witness

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” In 1953 the first people to climb to the top of Mt. Everest were Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay ...

1053. Improving Our Memory

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... we consider the blood of the Son who died for our sins, we marvel that you consider us worthy to share in this great sacrifice. You are the source of all blessing and life. His cup is offered in memory of the blessing we have received through one life lived perfectly. May we be perfected by you as well, as we do this in his memory. Amen. Hymns "Let Us Break Bread Together" "Seed Scattered And Sown" "In The Quiet Consecration"

1054. Ten Words

Exodus 20:1-21, Psalm 19:1-14

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship One: The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; All: the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is ... monuments through the power of your Holy Spirit. Let your word, which is sweeter than honey, more to be desired than gold, shine through our lives, revealing through our brokenness your perfect love for all people. Amen. Hymns "How Firm A Foundation" "Wonderful Words Of Life" "Sanctuary"

1055. The Pioneer of Our Salvation

Hebrews 2:10-18

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... worship you, and follow you. These things we pray in your mighty name. Amen. Prayer Of Confession God who walks with us, who never abandons us, how often we think we deserve a straight path with no bumps or bruises on our way. Yet you were made perfect through suffering, and we claim we want to walk in your footsteps, at least when it suits us. Make us worthy to be counted your disciples in good times and bad. Mold us into your people. We follow your steps, knowing they lead to glory. Amen. Hymns "Marching ...

1056. A Christian's Resumé

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... pastime for many is searching the employment ads in the Sunday newspaper. Keeping one's resume up-to-date is a high priority on people's lists of things-to-do. Go to the library or a bookstore and you can find volumes on "how to" write the perfect resume. Go on the Internet and find free advice and subscribe to websites that will help you piece together what you need to tell a prospective employer in order to get the best job and highest paying position that's available to you. They will tell you what ...

1057. Sheep that Count

1 Peter 2:19-25

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... rest of the flock, always going just a little further outside the circle. He continually had to be chased back by the shepherd. Edger grew tired of the scolding he received for his insubordination. "What's gotten into you, Edgar?" his mother asked. "You were always a perfect child. You never talked back and you always listened. You were one of the shepherd's favorites. Now, you do nothing but cause him grief. What's going on?" "I want to get out of this flock, Mother!" Edgar shouted. "I want to see what's ...

1058. Effective Suffering

Romans 8:26-39

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... us can provide a long list in response to that question. We can start with the way things seem to work against us. The refrigerator that stops working just after you put all that expensive food in it. The computer that swallows your file just as you finish making it perfect. The car that won't start when you are late for a critical meeting. And on and on. "Who is against us?" There are people who seem to take delight in making us look and sound foolish. Not that we need a lot of help, most of the time. But ...

1059. Body Parts and Pride

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... an idea used in a judgmental manner, particularly in an effort to eliminate the Body parts we dislike. Paul points out the real purpose. As our minds are renewed, we are able to grow in our ability to see what is good, what is acceptable to God, and what is perfect. And as we begin to see these things more clearly, we are also inspired to seek them more closely in our own lives. We are better able to work for the growth and betterment of the whole Body of Christ. When we continue as part of the Body of ...

1060. Fathers in Their Generation

Psalm 103:13

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... was especially done in the ancient world. The stories of the kings and the fathers of the nation were told to picture them as superhuman, even as divine. But not Israel. Because in biblical faith the model is not perfection. The model is wisdom. The heroes in the bible, not one of them, is perfect. They have become wise, however, by learning the lessons of the fathers in their generation--that life is hard, and they are not all that important, and someday they are going to die. And most important, that they ...

1061. I Thought You'd Never Ask

John 1:35-46

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... meant that the sign of God's grace working in your life is evidence that you are still working, you are still growing, you are still getting better. And it never ends. He also called it "going on to perfection." And from what I can see of this congregation, we've got an awful lot to work on in order to be perfect--enough to keep us busy, all of us, for the rest of our lives. So with the style of being Christian that says, I am a work in progress, I am always trying to become a better person, there ...

1062. If You Can't Stand the Heat

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... the Methodists, at least the early Methodists, was not only did they believe that they were saved by grace--they believed they had to grow in grace. So they just kept working on it. They even called the Christian life "going on to perfection." That was the goal of the Christian life, perfection meaning the life that was held up to us in Jesus Christ. You talk about standards, you talk about becoming what you measure yourself by. That's about as high as you can get. And we are given grace so that we can ...

1063. Laugh It Off

I Corinthians 1:18-20, 26-31

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... all those things around us that cause us so much trouble. Our problem is that we are both animals, so we are limited and imperfect, and made in the image of God, so we think we ought to be perfect. So we worry about it, agonize over it, and try to cover up our imperfections, try to pretend that we are perfect. That is where the comedy comes in. The richest source of comedy is the behavior of people pretending to be greater, or better, than they are. That is a universal source of comedy. It is why we love to ...

1064. Pre-Game Analysis

I Corinthians 9:19-27

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... . Now here is the genius of Paul. He said, the Son became a hero. He lived a life that we must live, and he lived it perfectly. So he is our model. In Jewish culture suffering was a problem. In Greek culture, though, suffering was seen as an inescapable part of the heroic ... highest life there is, the ideal human life, is the life of the hero. Paul says, Jesus is our hero. He lived his life perfectly, so he is our model. We are to live our lives patterned after his. We are to live heroically in our time. That' ...

1065. The Paraclete Is Not a Bird

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... county in Tennessee. She had two goals in teaching. One was to teach her girls to be ladies. So she taught them manners as much as she taught them music. She also taught them to play one piece perfectly for the May recital. She rehearsed them and drilled them all year long to play that one piece perfectly, including instructions on how to sit on the piano bench, to spread your skirt as you sit down, and how to announce the song by standing straight and holding your hands together at your waist. The night of ...

1066. The Sin of Being Less

Colossians 3:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... . Seek the things that are above. Then he names the things that are above. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forgiveness, and above all else love, which binds all things together in perfect harmony. Now that is also a selective list. In other letters Paul lists other qualities of the Christian life. This list is tailored for the Colossians. You read that, and you get the impression that they are having a church fight of some sort ...

1067. This Is Not Rocket Science

Acts 2:1-8

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... Church has been here. I can't imagine what the world would be like if it hadn't been for the Church. But it is not perfect. It is frail. It is a human institution. I have in my memory an old prayer for the Church that goes like this: When we compare ... her with the mind of her Master, we bow in contrition. I discovered as a youth, at a very early age, that the Church is not perfect. When you compare the Church with what it ought to be, when you compare the Church with the vision that Jesus had for his people, ...

1068. This Is the Day

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... all. It was like a private audience with the Pope. And he spoke to each of us personally, and in English. Then he had me kneel, placed his hand on my head, and gave me a blessing. Then he leaned forward and spoke into my ear, in perfect English, "You have a lousy haircut."1 We know people who are always complaining. They have a negative attitude about everything. Everything is going to be bad, nothing is going to turn out right. You wonder if the things that have happened to them have shaped this attitude ...

1069. Why Join the Church?

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... end of the 19th century, anticipating the 20th century, they wrote utopian novels. At the end of the 20th century, anticipating the 21st century, they are writing science fiction. In utopian novels the future was seen as a kind of Garden of Eden, a perfect society. In much of science fiction the future is seen as the battle between the spiritual forces of wickedness and the evil powers in heavenly places. I don't believe that those powers are supernatural. I believe that they are human in origin I believe ...

1070. Baptism of our Lord

Isaiah 42:1-9, Matthew 3:13-17, Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... for us. d. He did what was right for our benefit. 2. The Secret Of Success (10:38). Need: Almost everybody wants to be a winner, a success. The one who had the greatest success in history was Jesus. He succeeded in living a perfect life, in overcoming sin and Satan, in accomplishing his mission on earth. What was his secret? The text gives the foolproof secret for every person. Outline: "God was with him." a. Because God is with you in Spirit - "anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit." b. Because ...

1071. Lent 5

John 11:1-16, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:1-17, John 11:17-37, John 11:38-44

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... people suffer death. 3. The solution to sin and death. The solution is Jesus, the one man who lived perfectly, who died redemptively. Through this one man grace came to humanity, and with grace came life. Through this Jesus, humanity has the ... restoration of its original state: righteousness and innocence in the perfect accord with God. PREACHING POSSIBILITIES The Problems Of Preaching On The Theme Of Lent 5 There seems to be a conflict ...

1072. Proper 15

Genesis 45:1-28, Isaiah 56:1-8, Romans 11:11-24, Romans 11:25-32, Matthew 15:1-20, Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... help given to the child would be given to her. Here is a depth of love that is possible between parent and child. A true parent wishes she could take the pain and trouble of the child. 3. Not answer (v. 23). When the woman begged for mercy, Jesus was perfectly silent. He ignored her as though she said nothing. There are times when God is silent when we cry to him for help or for answers. In this silence God is saying something to us. It is a testing of faith. The test is whether we have patience and ...

1073. Proper 26

Matthew 23:1-39, Joshua 3:1-4:24, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16, Malachi 2:1-9

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... 23:1-12 1. The Danger Of Being Religious (23:1-12). Need: It is not altogether safe to be a religious person. You can fall into various pits that bring destruction to the soul. Many think of religion as a fortress in which they are perfectly safe from Satan and his wiles of destruction. This Gospel lesson tells of top religious leaders in Jesus' day who became victims of their religion. What happened then happens today among religious people. Outline: Christian leaders need to - a. Beware of the dangers of ...

1074. Demonstrating the Divine

John 1:10-18

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... new pastor at a Korean church took place in a packed sanctuary where the number of teenagers and children almost outnumbered the adults; a bursting, growing congregation, where the feast afterward could have fed the whole Presbytery. And yet, nothing is perfect. When the laying on of hands took place, the only female hands were mine as our Korean brothers and sisters continue to struggle with a gospel of inclusivity. In congregation after congregation, earnest, hopeful, joyful faces watched as promises were ...

1075. Worry and Wonder

Matthew 6:24-34

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... we will go with Jesus into the wilderness of Lent. With the waters of baptism still dripping from his brow, Jesus is immediately driven by the Spirit into the desert. And there he is tempted by Satan. Both beasts and angels are with him. It is perfectly clear that God wanted Jesus to struggle - to struggle intensely, with both the inner and the outer beasts of his life. God wanted Jesus to face his fears, to face his doubts, to face his weaknesses, to face his temptations, to face the deep ambiguities and ...

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