Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1076 to 1100 of 4943 results

1076. Good Christians

Luke 13:1-9

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... me what you think this is. (Hold up twig in pot.) Well, we're going to pretend this morning that it is a small orange tree. Only this tree has never grown an orange. We will pretend that we've had this orange tree for years, and it's just taking up space. It has never grown any oranges. I can't think of anything else to do with it so maybe we should just throw it away. Does anybody else have any ideas? (Let them answer.) Well, what does your mother do with houseplants that don't grow? (Again let them ...

1077. One For All

John 10:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... would stop. He was not really sacrificing his life for his dog. (2) What I long for us to see is the divine absurdity of it all. The Lord of all the universe lay down His life for such as you and I. He lay aside his regal robes to take up the cross of degradation and death. He lay aside his crown of glory for a painful crown of thorns and he did it for you and me. Can you get your mind around such an astounding truth? Are you worthy of such an act? I certainly am not. Are you ...

1078. I Love You, Man!

John 21:15-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... we can go besides to other people to find that kind of love? One place we can look is the Word of God. When I think about how the Bible assures me that Jesus loves me, I see several pictures. I see Jesus, against the counsel of his disciples, take up little children in his arms and bless them. I see Jesus stopping a parade to respond to the cries of a blind street beggar. I see Jesus going home with Zacchaeus, a hated tax collector, to demonstrate to him that God still loved him. I see Jesus responding to ...

1079. Pentecost

John 20:19-23, Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13, Psalm 104:1-35, Numbers 11:4-35

Sermon Aid

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

... The lectionary text separates into three parts: vv. 24-25, 26-27, and 28-30. Verses 24-25 describe the empowerment of the seventy elders. They receive a portion of Moses' spirit and prophecy momentarily to demonstrate their power before they (presumably) take up their leadership roles. Verses 26-27 is unexpected. It is as though the spirit of God splashes over the preestablished boundaries of the seventy elders and lands on two others, who begin to prophesy independently. Verses 28-30 provide two responses ...

1080. Engage Mind before Putting Mouth in Gear

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... higher standard, a Christian life. Our road will encounter some detours, potholes, and roadblocks, but then God never promised us a smooth path to eternal life. In fact, Jesus is very clear in the Gospel: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it and those who lose their life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:24b-25). James then gets into the heart of his message on the importance of the tongue ...

1081. Matthew 23:1-12

Matthew 23:1-39

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... rule comes from the mouth of Judas (26:25, 49) as he betrays Jesus. Yet, like fancy phylacteries and long fringes, the title “rabbi” is proudly touted by the loudly pious scribes and Pharisees Jesus knows. Jesus calls his disciples to take up a very different badge of honor: servanthood. The familial root of this identity is emphasized as Jesus calls all his followers to be “brothers” (or more inclusively “brothers and sisters”). The NRSV gender-neutral “students” (v.8) misses the intimacy ...

1082. Jeremiah 1:4-10

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a national identity under the rising Babylonian empire. Jeremiah's prophetic witness was destined to denounce this attempt by the people to change political masters while refusing to acknowledge their only true sovereign God. The personal details of Jeremiah's call take up six of today's seven verses. Only in verse 10 does the prophet record the first directives, the first divine words he is to pronounce. Like most Old Testament "call" narratives, Jeremiah's personal experience involves six steps. First, he ...

1083. The Perfect Gift

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... . After he proposed, he could pull off the mask, but, but that masquerade would be phony and he wasn’t comfortable with that. Finally, a real solution came to his mind. He would give up his kingly robe and move into the neighborhood, and there he would take up work say as a carpenter, and during his work in the day and during his time off from work, he would get to know the townspeople. He would share their interest and concerns, he would begin to talk their language, and in due time should fortune be ...

1084. The Perfect Church

1 Cor. 3 & 13

Illustration

Barbara Lundblad

... me a church where ministers aren't self-serving; where hypocrisy has been purged away; where church members don't waste time and energy squabbling over petty details; where love is genuine, and I'll become a member." You'll wait a long time, my friend, for such a church takes up no space on this earth. It has floated up, up, up and disappeared beyond Oz. Or perhaps, such a church lives as a memory a time when disciples believed, when faith could move mountains, and motives were pure.

1085. Sunday’s Comin’

Hebrews 10:16-25

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... at all. As time went along, the descendants of those early pilgrims came to feel their own kind of oppression. They felt like political nonentities in an empire that spanned the globe. They resented it and took their destiny into their own hands, taking up arms against the king. Their hopes for political freedom resulted in the formation of a new nation that has become a model for representative democracy. Yes, we have reason to hope because so often we have seen the human spirit triumph as it strives ...

1086. Matthew 21:23-32

Matthew 21:23-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of God. At the very least Jesus promises that these most reviled, ritually impure, politically polluted collaborators will “go before” (“proago”) the scions of the temple and the Sanhedrin. But “proago” can also indicate that those who “get there first” take up all the available space, leaving those who would seek to enter later no “room at the inn.” Jesus’ words do not make exclusion a certainty. But they are highly insulting to these religious leaders. John the Baptist’s prophetic ...

1087. Following God's Lead

Joshua 5:1-12

Sermon

Rodney Thomas Smothe

... through the words of Christ that in order to find ourselves we must first deny ourselves. In order to follow God's lead we must first admit that we're lost. Jesus challenges us to think about our followship. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul" (Mark 8:34-37).1 ...

1088. Proper 7

Luke 8:26-39, Galatians 3:15-25, Galatians 3:26--4:7, Psalm 43:1-5, Psalm 42:1-11, 1 Kings 19:1-8

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... Good News! Through faith you are all children of God in union with Christ Jesus. Baptized into union with him, you have all put on Christ as a garment. Friends, believe the Good News! In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. EXHORTATION Leave self behind. Day after day, take up your cross and follow Christ. Only in that risk are you ultimately safe. PRAYER OF THE DAY Strong Savior, give such trust in your mission that we may be less anxious for our safety and security and willing to risk more in the living out of ...

1089. The Christian Life The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-20

Bulletin Aid

... : May we realize that this is Christ’s righteousness given to us, not our righteousness made by us. Leader: Fit your feet with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. Congregation: Convict us of our need to share the Gospel with others. Leader Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Congregation: May we take faith and use it, rather than talk faith and lose it. Leader: Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which ...

1090. Pentecost 27

Matthew 24:1-35

Sermon Aid

... you don't feel like it.' Make sure they see this, not as a way to earn God's acceptance, but rather as a response to God's acceptance. Proclamation of the Word Consider this: You may want to use this quote of John Henry Newman. "To take up the Cross of Christ is no great action done once for all time; it consists in the continual practice of small duties [some of] which are distasteful to us [and some of which bring extreme joy]."( source unknown) Stewardship Thought Try this: Build on the stewardship of ...

1091. Daring Words

Mark 1:9-13

Illustration

Larry Powell

... ; b. the exhortation, with some degree of urgency, to accomplish something in the name of Christ, and c. the invitation to respond. Intentional or not, Jesus began his ministry with a format exceptionally accommodating to Gospel preachers. However, let us take up the sequence as described by Mark. 1. The announcement. The arrest of John the baptizer apparently served as the catalyst for Jesus to reveal the messianic secret. For thirty years, he had maintained a low profile, preparing himself, shaping his ...

1092. Proper 19

Proverbs 22:1-16, James 2:1-13, James 2:14-26, Mark 8:27-30, Mark 8:31--9:1

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... of success, so that moral righteousness will finally be more important to us than material riches. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen Gospel: Mark 8:27-38 Theme: Bearing the mark of Christ Exegetical Note The famous saying of Jesus about discipleship and "taking up his cross" allows another interpretation worth exploring. Some exegetes suggest that in the pre-Easter version of the saying, stauros meant not a "cross" but a "cross mark" (a tau or chi, perhaps), such as was used to mark livestock. If that is the ...

1093. Matthew 10:24-39

Matthew 10:24-39

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in this context we begin to see the implications of Jesus' mandate. Jesus' words put each person in a position of responsibility for his or her own heart and soul. The final challenge to a disciple's worth - the willingness to "take up the cross" - moves back from the discussion on family to the theme of persecution. By mentioning the cross, the Roman government's most heinous means of inflicting criminal punishment, Jesus suggests that there will be a shared solidarity of suffering between himself ...

1094. Washing in Old Jordan

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... some of us may feel to some of the church's prescriptions for the healing of our souls. We've all heard those time-worn prescriptions from the church: • read your Bible • pray every day • attend worship every Sunday • trust and obey • do unto others • take up your cross • believe in Jesus • and the like ... We may well say to ourselves, "Why, I've heard those things ever since I was a child. They are okay, but my problems today are too big for such simplistic advice. I need some real help ...

1095. Diver's Disease

Humor Illustration

... they can tell everybody that they are 'skiing.'' We have a few that dive for the lawn mower and work on the back yard instead of assembling in the Lord's house to hear His Word. Then a few dive into a flurry of fault-finding every time the church takes up a special project or new work program. Yes, it takes the Lord and the love of His Church to cure 'Divers Disease.''" -From A Church Newsletter

1096. Ambassadors of The Lord

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... others as did Artaban. Being the Christ to others is truly an awesome task. It is not the easy path, but then Jesus never promised that being his followers would be easy. Remember his great challenge: If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up the cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. — Mark 8:34b-35 We cannot shy away from this responsibility. There is ...

1097. The Believers Share Their Possessions

Acts 4:32-37

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Here we have the second in Luke’s series of cameos of the inner life of the church (see disc. on 2:42–47). In this, he takes up again the theme of their fellowship. Of the other matters dealt with in the earlier sketch, he has already had something more to say about prayer (4:23–31) and will shortly add something on the subject of miracles. 4:32 For the expression all (Gk. plethos) the believers, see ...

1098. Jeremiah in Prison

Jeremiah 37:1-21

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... to pray for the people as a way to express the depth of their sin and the certainty of their destruction (7:16; 11:14; 14:11). The message is simple. The Babylonian withdrawal is temporary. The Egyptians will retreat and the Babylonians will take up their siege again. Nothing will prevent them from their ultimate victory because God has determined that it will happen. As a matter of fact, Jeremiah declares, even if they defeated the Babylonian army and only left wounded men, those wounded men would breach ...

1099. The Future Glory of Zion

Isaiah 54:1-17

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... the servant passage, as happened after 49:1–6 and 50:4–11. There were hints there that Ms Jerusalem’s restoration was the correlate of Ms Babylon’s humiliation in chapter 47. Chapter 54 is the systematic exposition of that theme. The prophet takes up five images of Ms Jerusalem which once again resume the themes of the people’s prayers (we are like a childless and abandoned woman, the victim of angry abuse—literally, we are a battered and insecure city) before coming to a striking conclusion. 54 ...

1100. Jesus Heals a Paralytic

Matthew 9:1-8

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... ), not from a ministry of absolution. Jesus’ reference to himself as the Son of Man is more than a simple substitute for “I.” It contains overtones of supernatural authority and celestial dignity. Jesus turns to the paralyzed man and orders him to rise, take up his mat and go home. The moment of truth has come. The man “sprang to his feet” (Phillips) and headed for home. Those who witnessed the miracle were struck with awe and praised God that such authority was given to men. Some commentators see ...

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