Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1051 to 1075 of 4977 results

1051. The Perfect Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... out what made the difference, so she asked one of them, “Why are things so different here?” Pointing toward Jim’s bed, he said, “Oh, it’s that guy in the bed over there.” So the nurse went over to Jim’s bed and said, “I understand you’ve made quite a difference in this ward. Can you tell me why?” Jim said, “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.” The nurse said, “Try me.” Jim said, “Every day a little after noon, I see a man walking up to my bed. He puts his hand on the bed ...

1052. Pigs Get Slaughtered

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... . He watched his investments grow by leaps and bounds. Then he got the idea to cash in his life insurance policies and use the proceeds to buy even more stock. In no time, he doubled his family’s assets. Now he was really hooked. He decided to quit his job and make his millions by trading so that his family could spend the rest of their lives free from financial worries. The article indicated that his wife intervened, just in time. He did not leave his position with Lockheed Martin, and his day‑trading ...

1053. A Kingdom that Can Not Be Shaken

Hebrews 12:14-29

Sermon

King Duncan

... details of the ceremony may be covered by special policies. But a successful marriage cannot be insured by Lloyd’s or any underwriter anywhere. Only a man and woman making commitments to God and to each other can guarantee a lifelong marriage. (4) Quite obviously, many marriages do not survive. There are earthquakes of many kinds. The loss of a child. That’s an earthquake of unimaginable proportions. Many of us say that we can handle anything life may throw at us except watching our child suffer. And ...

1054. Honest Abe

Genesis 12:1-4a

Sermon

Bill Mosley

... Land for Egypt. He even lied about being married to Sarah. But he came back. He obeyed God enough to sacrifice his son Isaac -- and God saw his faith and called off the sacrifice. Abraham kept his vow not to profit from his military successes and he was quite a successful general. When you read the chapters in Genesis about Abraham you can't help but be struck by his devotional life: he prays all the time; he builds altars everywhere he goes. He made for himself the habit of faith. He kept his muscles in ...

1055. The Problem with Promises

Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7

Sermon

James L. Killen

... was not in their decision to act decisively. It is a good thing to act decisively in response to the call of God. It is quite another thing to act decisively in despair of God. Sarah gave her Egyptian maid to Abraham as a concubine and she bore a child to ... had grown up with all of the advantages. Abe's father and two partners had built up a very successful business that had made them quite rich. Abe and his brother never wanted for anything. He was smart, too. His dad sent him to the best schools in the not ...

1056. The Golden Calf

Exodus 32:1-14

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... unknown. That's when we open the door to idolatry. Idolatry isn't bowing down to a statue; it's not being secure enough to trust the unseen God with an uncertain future. Idolatry is being afraid to make ourselves vulnerable to God's future, even if we don't quite know where we are going. Our temptation to idolatry is not that we will cease to believe in God; it is doubting that God alone is enough. It is wanting to control God, to bend God to our wishes. We respond to our anxiety by creating idols. We turn ...

1057. Healing the Pain from the Past

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... to them and blissfully stroked her whiskers against their outstretched hands. She was comfortable with people. My friends were quite willing to provide for the cat's few needs: food, fresh water, a potent flea collar, and some affection ... grace reaches into our lives now, bringing healing and hope. Still, we have hope in the fullness of God's reign that the problems we never quite overcome in this life will be redeemed in God's future. Everyone here can point to some pain from the past that nags at us, that ...

1058. Financial Freedom

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... more money! There must be more money!’ “It came whispering from the springs of the still-swaying rocking-horse, and even the horse, bending his wooden, champing head, heard it. The big doll, sitting so pink and smirking in her new pram, could hear it quite plainly, and seemed to be smirking all the more self-consciously because of it. The foolish puppy, too, that took the place of the teddy-bear, he was looking so extraordinarily foolish for no other reason but that he heard the secret whisper all over ...

1059. Expectancy

Romans 13:11-14

Sermon

James L. Killen

... kind of new and better life? For one thing, it would mean taking a much more positive attitude toward the unfolding of human history than lots of us have. Do you remember the Y2K commotion? You have probably all but forgotten it now, but it caused quite a furor when it was going on. You will remember that, as our world approached the year 2000, someone realized that, through the short-sightedness of what is supposed to be one of our most future-oriented industries, all of the world's computers were expected ...

1060. The Incarnation: What and Why?

Hebrews 2:10-18

Sermon

James L. Killen

... a joke of the preachy coach and his platitudes. One prominent big contributor to the athletic fund found another person whom he persuaded to apply for the position of coach. The coach was terminated just before the final track meet. The team members were shocked. They didn't quite know what to do. But when they came to the track meet, they saw their old coach in the stands. Every time a team member was about to compete, he heard the old coach shouting, "Come on. I believe in you. You can do it." Each team ...

1061. Abraham Believed God

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... time as it is for getting us through the gates of heaven. The age-old debate always involves whether one believes in God or not. Is there a God, or isn't there a God? And for many people it is enough that they believe in God. They never quite get beyond belief in God to where they are able to believe what God says. For them, simply putting their trust in the fact that God exists is enough. Believing "in God" becomes the basis for their concept of salvation. With this type of thinking which is prevalent in ...

1062. Access Denied

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... Prime Minister of England, Ramsey McDonald, was discussing the possibility of lasting peace with another government official. The other man was an expert on foreign affairs and was quite unimpressed by the prime minister's idealistic viewpoint. He remarked cynically to McDonald, "The desire for peace does not necessarily ensure it." McDonald admitted, "Quite true. But neither does the desire for food satisfy your hunger, but at least it gets you started toward a restaurant." Our desire for peace does not ...

1063. Sheep that Count

1 Peter 2:19-25

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... from. All she knew how to do was what she had always done. And that was to follow the shepherd, stay in the flock, and be kept safe and healthy. That seemed like quite enough for her. She told her son what all the elders had always said to her, "The grass may look greener over there somewhere, but without the shepherd, its taste will seem quite bitter." But Edgar knew he had to taste that grass over there and beyond. He knew there must be a better life outside the flock, and he would not be happy until he ...

1064. King of the Mountain

1 Peter 3:13-22

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... into our hearts? There's a childhood game that some of you may have played that in today's world would probably not be politically correct. It's call "king of the hill" or, taken to the next level, "king of the mountain." The object of the game is quite simple. You stand on top of a hill, a mound of dirt or gravel, or anything that is elevated from the ground around it, and you throw, push, or bump everyone else off. The longer you can stay there without getting pushed off yourself, the more powerful you ...

1065. No Shame

Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-28 (29-31)

Sermon

William G. Carter

... Paul has that capacity, just like the rest of us. You never know what he's going to say. Sometimes he is able to be quite tender. He could be kind and gracious. He wrote to the Philippians, to a church he loved, and he said, "I have great affection for ... in the daylight. We can do it because we're not ashamed. Not long ago, I was talking with a man who sees the world in ways quite different from me. That's not a bad idea once in a while. All of us can get stuck in our little enclaves and rarely venture ...

1066. Families in Christ

Romans 9:1-5

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... thrown him out of their family, so to speak. This rejection is the source of Paul's sorrow and anguish. The people who should have recognized Christ have turned their backs on him and his offer of salvation. Paul is greatly distressed by this decision. He makes it quite clear that he would do almost anything to make things different, but there is very little he can do. In many ways, these last verses of the lesson sound rather foreign to us today. We are not Jews or former Jews, as many of the people of the ...

1067. Beautiful Feet

Romans 10:5-15

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... . "And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?" In order to call on Jesus, people must believe in him. In order to believe, people must hear the good news. In order to hear the good news, someone must proclaim that good news. Everything is quite logical, and it all builds clearly to the conclusion in the form of the final question. "And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent?" How can anyone proclaim unless they are sent? To proclaim the Good News, to tell the story of Jesus and ...

1068. Struggles, Death, and Christ

Philippians 1:21-30

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... are in no way intimidated by your opponents." How can we proclaim? How can we tell people? Paul's answer is really quite simple, and hardly involves any words, at least at first. In fact, Paul's answer is so painfully simple, it is almost ... we should be doing. It is easy to be intimidated and it isn't always easy to proclaim the good news. In fact, it is quite difficult and often a struggle. And Paul knew that, too. "For God has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but ...

1069. When to Hold On

II Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... Spong's book. He says the Church ought to change. It may be. I don't want to talk about that. I want to talk about what the Church can do to reestablish itself in its traditional role as Church. Many people are making changes in the Church, quite successfully, because they turn to the world, and ask, "What do you want? We will try to accommodate you." You see books now all the time written for churches on how to appeal to the baby boomers, and Generation X, different segments of the market. That is the ...

1070. A Pilgrimage To Bethlehem

Matthew 3:1-12

Drama

Matthew Powell

... Ivan Petroff, who was short and had curly hair. Storyteller 2: The other, Gregory Radinsky, was not so well off. He was tall and quite bald. The two men had taken a vow years before to go to the holy places together. Gregory longed especially to go to Bethlehem ... no one to help us recover. Woman: I struggled on alone for a while, but at last I broke down for want of food and grew quite weak. My daughter also grew weak and timid. I told her to go to the neighbors, but she would not leave the hut and crept into ...

1071. Hoodoo McFiggin's Christmas

Luke 2:1-14

Drama

Matthew Powell

... early Christmas morning. I had an idea that the scene would be interesting. He sat up in bed, his eyes glistening with radiant expectation, and began hauling things out of his stocking. The first parcel was bulky; it was done up quite loosely and had an odd look generally. Hoodoo: Ha! Ha! Narrator: Hoodoo cried gleefully, as he began undoing it. Hoodoo: I'll bet it's the puppy-dog, all wrapped up in paper! Narrator: And was it the puppy-dog? No, by no means, it was a ... pair of nice, ...

1072. Home For The Holidays

John 1:1-14

Drama

Matthew Powell

1073. Proper 17

Matthew 16:21-28, Romans 12:1-8, Romans 12:9-21, Jeremiah 14:1--15:21, Jeremiah 20:7-18, Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... God does not give us peace and prosperity as rewards for serving him. Moreover, the people do not appreciate the efforts of God's servant who tries to help by telling them the truth. There is every reason, therefore, to quit serving God. Nevertheless, a true servant of God cannot quit, because he has an inner compulsion to love and serve. Christian leaders and lay servants need to be encouraged to serve regardless of the consequences. Outline: God, I can't stop loving you - a. Even though you deceived me ...

1074. The Embassy at 6601

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... the fire and the rose are one." Yes, when ... all manner of creatures are one. And all manner of Christians are one. And the broken and fearful world and its creator are one. And the church and its Lord are one. Thank God for that ever present and not-quite-yet gift of reconciliation, in the name of the one in whom such reconciliation is found, and no other, even Jesus Christ.4 This is the good news of the gospel. May it be so - for you and for me. Amen. 1. The address of Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church ...

1075. The Offense of Grace

Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... . God gives us blessing instead of blame. God gives us comfort instead of condemnation. And in the serendipity of those surprising moments we are changed. Yet, it is one thing for God to be gracious to us. After all, that is what God is for. It's quite another for us to do the same. After all, we live in the real world, and we must be practical, cautious, and sensible. Loving our enemies and turning the other cheek is dangerous business - foolhardy and contrary to our best interests. No, we need to be right ...

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