Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1076 to 1100 of 4936 results

1076. Jesus Made Like His Brothers

Hebrews 2:5-18

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

Christ is Superior to the Angels Despite His Humanity Without question the greatest obstacle to the author’s argument about the superiority of the Son is the authentic humanity of the Son, which involved him in both suffering and death. For the first time our author uses the name of the man from Nazareth, Jesus (v. 9). The humanity, the suffering, and the death of Jesus all seem to point with unmistakable clarity to his inferiority in comparison with the angels. The matter obviously demands attention, if ...

1077. Living for God

1 Peter 4:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

Live Wholly for God 4:1 What are the practical implications for Christians of Christ’s suffering and consequent triumph over death and the powers of evil? Recalling the opening of this section, back in 3:18, Peter reverts to the death of Christ. This is the example that believers should follow. They must turn their backs on the immoral practices of their pagan neighbors, formerly their own life-style, and wholeheartedly follow their Master by copying him. Christ suffered in his body, that is, he gave his ...

1078. A Levite and His Concubine

Judges 19:1-30

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Atrocities in Gibeah: Judges 19–21 constitute the final episode of the story of the judges. Even though we must divide them for the sake of analysis, they are intended to be read as one unit. These chapters have not found their way into many Sunday school books or sermons or onto the “top ten Christian books” list. They are difficult to read and more difficult to interpret. They portray human nature at its worst, and even worse than worst, because the main players were God’s covenant people. They did the ...

1079. Unity and Community (Part 1)

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: God empowers his people by his Spirit for the common good of his community, not as a personal favor to the individual. When individuals use their God-granted power for personal gain, they act like pagans attempting to manipulate their idol god. Understanding the Text Moving to the next question posed by the Corinthians (see 7:1, 25; 8:1), Paul continues his discussion on worship and ecclesiology. Distinguishing the Christian assembly from the pagan proves exceedingly significant not only for the ...

1080. Job's Reply to Bildad

Job 9:1–10:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

How Can a Mortal Be Righteous before God?: Job’s response to Bildad’s speech moves the discussion in a new direction. Up to this point in the book Job has largely been addressing the extremity of his suffering and raising the agonizing question as to how a righteous person can be allowed to suffer so horrendously. Now, however, in response to Bildad’s suggestion that the resolution of Job’s suffering lies in his willingness to “look to God and plead with the Almighty” (8:5), Job begins to consider the ...

1081. Sweet Vine

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

The season is nearing for planting. Those of you who plant gardens or farms know that it’s vitally important to plant well, tend well, and prune well for the best yield and the best crops. Grapes can be especially finicky to manage. There are many vineyards. But only a selection of grapes yield the best wines. Why? For those of you who aren’t growers…. let’s come at this another way. In today’s world, our young people are killing their peers at an alarming rate. While many are quick to blame parents, ...

1082. Epiphany 2

John 2:1-11, Isaiah 62:1-12, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

Wine Miracle On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. 3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 4And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you. 6 Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty ...

1083. Recollections of Mary -- Dramatic Monologue

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Drama

Robert A. Morgan

Children, I just can't sit down with you now. I have too much work to do for our guests. Yes, yes, I will sit down with you later this evening, just before you go to bed. Yes, I'll tell you the story of the baby again. I know, I know. I love the story, too. It's only once in a great while that I wish I hadn't told you! Mostly, I'm glad I told you, even though it has meant repeating it over and over and over again. Yes, you go out and play for just a little longer, and then Mother will call you, and we'll ...

1084. Christmas Eve at the Candy Cane Inn

Drama

Edward Long

Drama 2 Cast of Characters NARRATOR: Sets scenes and takes care of transitions. EFFECTS TECHNICIAN: In charge of recorded or live effects. THE APPLE FAMILY: Family stranded by a snowstorm at the Candy Cane Inn; Mr. Apple has been out of work and Mrs. Apple has been ill. HENRY APPLE: An unemployed engineer in his late 30's; normally a confident, happy person, he is in a bad way at this Christmas Eve. FREDA APPLE: A quiet, tense woman who attempts to keep the family functioning in a difficult time for them. ...

1085. Laughing in Church

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

Carl Jech

Introduction Long before the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts came on the scene, I had been seeing preachers "roasted" at church banquets. The idea of honoring someone by kidding or insulting the person is nothing new. At a recent convention a United Methodist bishop (I'll call him Bishop Anderson) was roasted with this story: A recent Methodist arrival in heaven was being shown around by St. Peter. A couple minutes into the tour he saw an old friend of his. But it was a disturbing sight. Attached to his ...

1086. The Role of an Angel

John 20:10-18

Sermon

George Bass

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." Saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you ...

1087. My Love Requires A Symbol

Malachi 3:6-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The other clergy on our staff and I perform lots of weddings. We enjoy it immensely. There are several reasons that we have so many weddings. We are a large congregation with an unusually large percentage of young adults. Furthermore, Cupid seems to run wild in our singles ministry. In fact, because of all those weddings, I have unintentionally memorized the wedding service. But I still keep the printed service in from on me, lest I call this Saturday’s bride by last Saturday’s name. Nothing so unnerves an ...

1088. Questions Without Answers

Job 42:1-6

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

The Word today is the bottom line in the book of Job, the story of the man from the land of Uz who was blameless and upright and who feared God and turned away from evil. The man had prospered. He had seven sons and three daughters, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 she-asses and very many servants. We could say that he belonged to the affluent society, a rather rare type in his day because the record makes it clear that he was the greatest man of all the people in the East. We will take the ...

1089. Under the Rainbow

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Noah. We learned all about him and the flood in Sunday School. Our kids learned about him this week in Vacation Bible School. Those in my generation had the picture filled in even more vividly about 35 years ago by that wonderful preacher, Bill Cosby. Remember? Cosby has Noah working around the house, down in his rec room, doing a little remodeling...Voobah, voobah, voobah...when a voice comes: "NOAH!" "Somebody call?" Voobah, voobah, voobah. "NOAH!" "Who is it?" "It's the Lord, Noah." "RIGHT...What do you ...

1090. Mary's Song

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

King Duncan

It was a very cold and windy evening in late November, 1989. The Hotel was quiet, only a few rooms were rented. The banquet complex was full. The bar was hopping and the Dining Room was packed. The sleeping rooms were few, so not many guests were roaming the halls. Then one of the guests was disturbed in his room. He heard a baby crying. He left his room and spotted a box. When he looked in it, he saw a baby! He immediately started running to the Front Desk, screaming, "Come quick! There's a baby in a box ...

1091. How God Gets His Kicks

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

King Duncan

The title is frivolous, but this message could change somebody's life. How does God get His kicks? What is it that gives God the most pleasure? The answer is, He gets the most pleasure from taking something that the world perceives as worthless and giving it value. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" they asked about Jesus. (John. 1:46) "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel...." (Micah 5:2) " ...

1092. Stepping Out In Faith

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

The world is getting scarier all the time. You never know what perfectly terrifying thing will happen next, even in a small town. A newspaper column years ago by Lydel Sims tells the fearful experience of Mrs. Wilma Sullivan, a widow who lives alone in Portageville, Missouri. "You just won't believe what happened to her the other night when she was sleeping in her quiet house on a quiet street among quiet and friendly neighbors. She had gone to bed about 11:30...Not that she had worried unduly about her ...

1093. First, Last And Always--god!

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

I am always thrilled and uplifted by the faith of little children. Maybe that is why when anyone sends me a list of CHILDREN'S LETTERS TO GOD, I read them not only with a smile, but also with a sigh: Oh, to have faith like that. Here are a few that are circulating right now: God, Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? --Norma Dear God, Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't You just keep the ones You have now? -- Jane Dear God, Who draws the ...

1094. Beware of Crowds

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

Mark Trotter

You read the Gospel of Mark, you get the impression that Jesus didn't like crowds. Which is strange considering that he's a Messiah who has come to save the whole world. But I'll tell you something even stranger, he hides the fact that he is Messiah. When the demons recognize him, he says, "Don't tell anyone. Keep it quiet." Which makes it even more curious, because in this phase of his ministry, it's at the beginning, he's in Galilee with his friends, he is preaching to those who are enthusiastic about ...

1095. Come Back

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Just when I think that all this talk about A.I. or Artificial Intelligence is a bunch of artificial air, something happens to show me that maybe we're further along the AI path than we think. Maybe the worlds of the born and the words of the made are coming together faster than we ever imagined. In researching this week's theme of betrayal, I undertook a Google search to reference a disturbing news story I remembered hearing the last week of October. Here's the Associated Press news release: TACOMA, Wash ...

1096. Proper 7

Psalm 86:1-17, Romans 6:1-14, Matthew 10:1-42, Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon Aid

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

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Old Testament lesson of Hagar's salvation in the wilderness follows immediately upon the story of Sarah's miraculous birth that was the lesson for last week. Thus Genesis 21:8-21 provides a second story of salvation, but the context for understanding salvation shifts somewhat from last week. Instead of a miracle story to underscore how anything is possible for God—as was the case with Sarah—salvation this week is Hagar's liberation from oppression. An examination first of the ...

1097. Thanksgiving Day, North America

Luke 17:11-19, Deuteronomy 8:1-20, Psalm 65:1-13, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon Aid

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

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Deuteronomy 8:7-18 is a sermon by Moses calling Israel to remember that their good life in the land is a gift from God. Psalm 65 is a hymn. Deuteronomy 8:7-18 - "Giving Thanks" Setting. Deuteronomy 8 is part of a larger section of literature that includes chapters 6-8, in which Moses exhorts Israel to keep the law. This section looks at law from a number of different perspectives. Law is introduced with the promise of blessing in 6:1-3, and it is equated with love in 6:4-9 ("Love the ...

1098. Don't Look Back, Remember Lot's Wife

Genesis 19:24-26

Sermon

James W. Moore

When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I was a sprinter on the Memphis Tech High School track team. Back then, tenth grade was the first year of high school, so I was a real rookie on the track team. I had been running: - The one hundred yard dash. - I was also running on the sprint relay teams. - In addition, I was doing the long jump and the high jump. One day in a practice track meet, the coach suddenly decided to try me in the two hundred and twenty yard dash. I had never run this event before, ...

1099. Thou Sayest I Am King

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

It’s something for a commoner from rural Mississippi to be in the presence of royalty, but I want you to know I was there. I shook hands with Prince Philip. And my wife Jeri was standing beside the Bishop of Kenya, when he was introduced formally to the Queen of England. It was the occasion of the reopening of Wesley’s Chapel in London in 1980. It was a great occasion and people from all over the world, Methodists from all over the world had come for that exciting event. I’ve never experienced anything ...

1100. Freedom to Set Free

Galatians 4:21-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

We are continuing our sermon series on Dynamic Discipleship. Last Sunday our theme was in the image of Charles Wesley’s hymn: “He breaks the power of cancelled sin.” The big word of that message was “Christ frees us from something - specifically, from meaninglessness, guilt, and death. Today, we pursue a variation on that theme. Christ not only frees us from something, He frees us to something. Let’s begin by exploring our scripture lesson. Verse 1 of Galatians 5 is Paul’s Magna Charta of spiritual freedom ...

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