Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1076 to 1100 of 4943 results

1076. Easter 6

Psalm 66:1-20, Acts 17:16-34, 1 Peter 3:8-22, John 14:15-31

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... , there is a new perception of the world that results from the indwelling of the Paraclete. Both parts of John 14:15-21 develop this theme. In v. 17 we are told that the world cannot receive the Spirit; only the disciples can grasp its presence. This argument continues into v. 19 where we are told that the world cannot even see the Spirit. Instead, it is the reality open only to the disciples of Jesus. Third, a new ethic arises when we enter the new world that was ushered in with Jesus. The new ethic is ...

1077. Epiphany 3

Psalm 27:1-14, Isaiah 9:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Matthew 4:12-17, Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... Jesus' mission. Unfortunately the lectionary selections skip the account of Jesus' temptation described in Matthew 4:1-11, a passage that shows Jesus' profound struggle to determine how he will go about his ministry in pure service to God. This week's gospel reading has continuity with the previous week's lessons because of the mention of the arrest of John in 4:12. The passage tells briefly of Jesus' early work in order to set up the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. Structure. The text comprises three ...

1078. Proper 6

Matthew 10:1-42, Matthew 9:35-38, Romans 5:1-11, Psalm 116:1-19, Genesis 18:1-15

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... static nor complete! For the apostle immediately talks of our hope. Hope is related to our future, which has been created by the gracious work of God in Jesus Christ. For Paul, this scheme is far from "possibility thinking"; rather, it is "reality living." So Paul continues his meditation by bringing us all down into the swamps of life—suffering. Yet look how Paul can speak of suffering. He does not deny its reality. He does not glorify it. Instead he puts a good face on it by relating it to endurance and ...

1079. Proper 9

Psalm 45:1-17, Romans 7:7-25, Matthew 11:25-30, Matthew 11:1-19, Genesis 24:1-67

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... could be limited to the second half, in which case it becomes a celebration of Rebekah and her ability to leave Nahor to follow God's call to marry Isaac. Either reading is appropriate in connection to Genesis 24. NEW TESTAMENT TEXTS The readings continue the sequence undertaken during the weeks of ordinary time following Pentecost. The text from Romans is Paul's well-known speech, "Wretched man that I am!" In Matthew Jesus speaks bluntly to his audience, uttering woes and calling the weary to him. Romans 7 ...

1080. Proper 11

Mt 13:24-30, 36-43 · Rom 8:12-25 · Ps 139 · Gen 28:10-19a

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... which include an introduction providing the setting of the dream (vv. 10-12), a divine speech (vv. 13-15), and a response by Jacob (vv. 16-22). Jacob's speech does not end at v. 19a where he names the location of his dream, Bethel (House of God), but he continues on to present a vow in vv. 20-22. By cutting Jacob's speech in half we actually skew the interpretation of this text in the larger cycle of the Jacob stories. I. Introduction (vv. 10-12) A. Flight of Jacob from Beersheba to Haran B. Time: evening C ...

1081. Proper 14

Genesis 37:1-11, Matthew 14:22-36, Romans 9:30--10:21, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... of God's relationship to Israel in the light of the Christ-event (Romans 9-11). At the beginning of Romans 10, Paul states that he desires and prays that those Israelites who currently do not believe the gospel of Jesus Christ may be saved (v. 1). He continues to speak somewhat favorably of the Israelites through vv. 2-3, saying that they are zealous but ignorant, so that they seek to establish their own righteousness rather than to trust God. Then, in v. 4 he says, "For Christ is the end of the law so that ...

1082. Proper 23

Psalm 106:1-48, Philippians 4:2-9, Matthew 22:1-14, Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... [them]." This remark is not so much a qualification of grace as it is a reminder that there are both edifying and wasteful ways to spend the life God has given us. Matthew 22:1-14 - "Going to the Party and Wearing the Right Clothes" Setting. The lesson continues to record the teaching of Jesus in the Temple precinct. For a discussion of the setting readers are asked to turn to the materials for Proper Twenty-one. Here, let us notice that Luke has the same basic parable Luke 14:16-24), but in a different ...

1083. Proper 28

Judges 4:1-24, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11, Psalm 123:1-4

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... this story to the idea of "the day" in v. 13 and the preceding section. Verse 14 also starts the first scene of the parable (vv. 14-15), which tells of the master entrusting his property to the slaves and then leaving. With that situation established, the story continues in vv. 16-18 by reporting the slaves' uses and the non-use of the grants from the master. The parable pivots on v. 19 with the return of the master, who sets about the work of settling accounts. The business of reckoning comprises vv. 20-30 ...

1084. Changed Lives - Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... on their own time. Since this was happening in late November, the church didn’t have time anyway. It just didn’t fit into the busy Advent schedule. [Some of us understand about this.] But the story became more complicated. Over the coming months the man continued his pursuit of the kind of salvation he had seen happen in the lives of people in Columbus, Georgia. He wanted to be baptized by immersion. Unfortunately there wasn’t a tub in Lake Wobegon big enough for a submersion, and by this time it was ...

1085. The Power of Testimony

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Mark R. Smith

... in Sychar didn’t want Jesus to leave. Once we truly experience the living Christ, we never want our lives to be void of His presence. The people of the village spread the word and more and more people were converted as the cycle of testimony and belief continued. Are you seeing what I am seeing in all of this? This scripture is a model for church development. It is so simple, really, and yet it so often eludes us: As we share our faith experiences, others are drawn to Christ. The worship service is much ...

1086. God Remembers and Reminds

John 14:15-21

Illustration

Thomas Long

... nursing home, whose severe neurological disorder had left him with a profound and permanent amnesia. He simply had no memory of anything from 1945 on. Having no ability to retrieve the past and no ability to construct a meaningful present, Jimmie lacked the continuity that makes for a sense of the self. He was, wrote Sacks, a person who "wore a look of infinite sadness and resignation." However, when Sacks asked the Sisters who ran the nursing home whether Jimmie had lost his soul, the Sisters were outraged ...

1087. The Play's Playbook for the Game of Life

1 Peter 4:12-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to kick off, even as their fans started crashing the sidelines and the band walked onto the field. But this is where the game became The Game. [If you can show the YouTube clip of the game at this point, super. If you can’t or choose not to, continue to get people to imagine the game or recall it from memory.] California picked up Stanford’s kicked ball on the 39 yard line. As the last second clicked off the clock Cal started running upfield. The first runner was grabbed and started to go down. At the ...

1088. Matthew 6: 25-34

Matthew 6:25-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... “seek” (zeteo) God’s kingdom first and foremost, living a life oriented toward God’s word and God’s work in the world. Matthew refers to the “kingdom of God,” not the “kingdom of heaven” here (his more usual term), perhaps to continue the personal nature of the relationship between the faithful and their “Heavenly Father.” In God’s kingdom-family, how could God’s very children be fearful of being denied such things as nutrients and raiments? Today’s text closes with what sounds ...

1089. Sleep With the Lions Without Being Eaten

Daniel 6:1-28

Sermon

James Merritt

... arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?' Then Daniel said to the king, ‘O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done ...

1090. Just the Right Touch

Mark 5:25-34

Sermon

James Merritt

... this man from the hounds of hell that have hunted him and haunted him, and changes him from a child of the devil to a child of God. Then Jesus encounters a woman with a terrible disease that is sapping the very life out of her. She has a continuous flow of blood that is slowly but surely killing her. By faith, she reaches out and touches the hem of his garment and instantaneously the bleeding is stopped. In the third miracle a little girl has died, the beat has left her heart, the breath has left her lungs ...

1091. The Way Over Is Under

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... ) He submitted to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Luke 4:1 tells us that Jesus was "led by the Spirit into the wilderness." He was even, as a child, submissive to his parents. Luke 2:51 says, "And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them." (Luke 2:51, NASB) I want to say it one more time. You will never ever be over until you learn to be under. You will never be in authority until you learn how to get under authority. I want to show you how this really ...

1092. America: You Are Too Young to Die

Psalm 80:1-19

Sermon

James Merritt

... Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?" He doesn't say, "Revive us so that the Stock Market will not collapse, the Communists will not take over, our standard of living will not go down, so that we may continue to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." No, he desired revival "that your people may rejoice in You." Never forget the proper sequence of revival. First, there is repentance, then there is restoration, then there is revival, and then there is rejoicing. Have ...

1093. How to Rub People the Right Way

Acts 4:36-37

Sermon

James Merritt

... were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple." (9:26) Paul had met Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road; it had been three years since he had been saved. He had basically gone underground to grow in the Lord, and to let the Lord continue this new work in his life. But now he was back, and what is even worse he was back in Jerusalem. Well word got out very quickly that public enemy number one was back. You see, at that time the church considered Saul of Tarsus the most dangerous man in ...

1094. Why You Should Study the Bible

Psalm 119:105

Sermon

James Merritt

... what will happen to you. A great Bible teacher recently received a letter from a woman who wrote this: I am a 27 year old female. When I was 14 I began to experience depression frequently. I was not a Christian, nor was I raised by Christian parents….my depression continued as I grew older, and as a result became worse as time passed. I became a chronic suicide case…. When I was 20 I went to a psychiatrist who diagnosed me as a manic depressive. He put me on lithium and told me I would be this way for ...

1095. Are You Ready for the Journey?

Mark 8:27-9:1

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... , following Christ. But the good news is we don't make the journey alone. We join company with one another. If we lose our way, if life seems to baffle us, we won't stay stopped for long. Someone is sure to pick up the trail and the journey will continue. We travel in the spirit of the Christ. We journey under the sign of the cross. The question is: "Are you ready for the journey?" Ready for the journey of Lent. Ready to walk with Jesus. Ready for the journey under the sign of the cross. While I was with ...

1096. Romans 13:8-14

Romans 13:8-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 10). Perhaps Paul falls back on“fulfilling of the law” language to put the radical mandate to love into a familiar form for his audience. But this loving is, as the apostle declared in v.8, an always-ever-ongoing demand. Love is the continual “fulfilling” of the law. But it is never an accomplished activity, always an unfinished mission. Each day, each new encounter with the other, with the neighbor, is another calling to accountability. Fulfilling the law of love is the practice of a lifetime. Paul ...

1097. Being Single-minded

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... is primarily interested in our hearts. He wants to reside there permanently and do for us what we can never do for ourselves. Yes, we — at our very best — belong totally to Christ and no other. He provides a safety net for all of humanity. He continues to knock on the doors of those who have spurned his love, some for a lifetime. The popularity of Second Coming publications is, at times, unbelievable. The hungry public in large numbers never seem to get their fill, and lots of money is made. Our call ...

1098. Dots on a Screen

Hebrews 9:24-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... return, a survivor of death itself. Like the crowd of Hebrew worshipers outside the holy of holies, we await the moment when our high priest Jesus shall reappear and we shall sing and shout for joy with his pronouncement of God's eternal love and continuing presence. In the meantime, we are called to "get real" in our own faith journey. Our response to the "reality television fad": "Get a real life!" Rather than peering in as others exorcise their fears and passions in a half-scripted "reality show" why not ...

1099. Practicing God’s Presence

Hebrews 10:11-25

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... is no longer separated from us. In Christ, we have access to heaven here and now. In Christ, the ultimate sacrifice has been offered and the breach has been bridged. In the earthly temple there were no chairs — the priestly work of offering sacrifices was continual, yet in Hebrews, Christ, the great high priest, is presented in a sitting posture. The sacrifice is finished and the priestly work is accomplished, so now Christ sits as a king. He is truly a priest-king after the order of Melchizedek, the King ...

1100. Pray, Baby, Pray

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... our exposed Judas’ by treating them like waste products, crushing them and tossing them out. But Jesus showed a different way. He had a final meal with Judas. He continued to show HIS love for Judas. Judas’ betrayal was not a surprise to Jesus (don’t most of us know who is “out to get us”?) but Jesus’ continued love, continued acceptance of Judas, despite his impending betrayal is the ultimate act of humility. Jesus also taught us to be humble and merciful in the face of “sabotage” because ...

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