Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1076 to 1100 of 1967 results

1076. A King - A Kingdom

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world ..." (v.37) Who is this Jesus? Shakespeare said, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."1 In Revelation we are told Jesus is "King of kings and Lord of lords" (19:16). Still we ask, "Who is he?" One of the essential, significant elements of our Christian faith is the concept of the Kingdom of God. We pray daily, "Thy kingdom come." As disciples we live in light of that kingdom as a reality. Indeed ...

1077. Happy New Year?

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

At the beginning of a new year it is customary for us to greet each other with "Happy New Year!" Do we mean "day" rather than "year"? We give the greeting on New Year's Day, but on this seventh day of the new year, are we still saying it? Are we wishing friends to be happy for only a day or for a whole year? How can one be happy for a whole year when the forecast for the new year may predict unhappy times? Can you be happy if in the coming year you may have less to eat, if you must make old clothes do for ...

1078. A Messenger of Promise

Malachi 2:17--3:5

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

A journal titled The Religion and Society Report once editorialized that people are tempted to treat religion and society purely in terms of sociology or in terms of the politics of religion. The fact is that church bodies and ecclesiastical institutions are fair game for the sociologists who like to try to measure the churches as being either to the right or to the left. However, most sociologists are not in a favorable position to make judgments in that regard, because they do not understand that they ...

1079. A Tale of Two Sisters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

David E. Leininger

With a title like "A Tale of Two Sisters," I guess this should open with something like "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." But it was neither. Unusual, to be sure. Even a little exciting. After all, these were the days of an itinerant rabbi called Jesus of Nazareth who was attracting quite a bit of attention. At some point previous - we are never told when, where or how - these two sisters, Mary and Martha, along with their brother Lazarus, had been introduced to Jesus. They must have ...

1080. The Gift Has Arrived

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

I read recently about a woman who had waited till the last minute to send Christmas cards. She rushed into a store and bought a package of 50 cards without really looking at them. Still in a big hurry she addressed 49 of the 50 and signed them without reading the message inside. On Christmas Day, when things had quieted down somewhat she chanced to run upon the leftover card and finally read the message she had sent to 49 of her friends. Much to her dismay, it read like this: "This card is just to say A ...

1081. You Are Not Yourself!

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

The Gospel more than anything else is good news! We all know that, but how often we forget. A news story that appeared recently in USA Today might serve as a helpful parable. It seems that many McDonald’s restaurants, rather than using bank bags and armored trucks, move their daily cash intake by putting the money in regular carry-out paper bags and handing the bag to a drive-thru courier. The plan conceals the fact that a large amount of money is leaving the store. In Euclid, Ohio, though, one McDonald’s ...

1082. Lost In America

Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

Bruce Kimball was a 1984 Silver Medalist in the Olympics. Bruce was involved in an accident many years ago. We are told he was intoxicated at the time. Two people were killed. Bruce withdrew from life because of that tragedy. He was depressed. He secluded himself in a trailer home with his father. He had the shades drawn. He turned inward. He was feeling sorry for himself. He could not sleep at night. Just to pass time he would sit and watch television all night long until he couldn’t hold his eyes open ...

1083. A Time To Remember - Memorial Day

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Memory is a tricky thing. Particularly as we get older. You may know the story about three women who were talking. The first said, "Sometimes I go to the refrigerator and forget what I need by the time I get there." The second woman said, "When I go upstairs, I can't remember whether I'm going up for something or I'm on my way back down." The third woman said, "I'm lucky, I guess (knocking on wood), I don't have that problem. Oh, there's someone at the door." One of our older comedians says he can always ...

1084. Have You Seen God's Heart?

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

King Duncan

When a general returned to Rome after winning a major victory, he was greeted by a Roman triumphal march. The high political officials would lead the procession, followed by men blowing their trumpets. Then would come wagons carrying some of the spoils taken from the conquered territory, and just behind them a number of defeated army officers in chains. The priests, carrying burning censers from which a fragrance pervaded the air, were next in line. Bringing up the rear would be a group of cheering ...

1085. Internal Medicine

Matthew 6:16-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Mussa Zoabi of Israel claims to be the oldest person alive. He says he's 160 years old. Unfortunately, Guinness Book of World Records isn't going to print his name simply because his age can't be verified. Mr. Zoabi is older than most recordskeeping systems will go. But here's the interesting thing! However old he really is, Mussa Zoabi knows exactly how he managed to live so long. He'll tell the secret to anybody who wants to know. He says: Every day I drink a cup of melted butter or olive oil! Doesn't ...

1086. Clean Hands and Dirty Hearts

Matthew 15:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Someone once said that a pun is the lowest form of humor, but sometimes I can't resist. There once was a young man--a Puritan, somewhere around Boston in the 18th century--who had a great deal of difficulty remembering the various rules of conduct in his community. He tried hard, but was constantly being ridiculed because of some breach of etiquette. In desperation, he asked an older man, also a Puritan, to teach him proper manners. The task was formidable, and the older man's patience grew thin, as he had ...

1087. When the Best People Were Left Out

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a wonderful story about a group of military leaders who succeeded in building a super computer that was able to solve any problem large or small, strategic or tactical. These military leaders assembled in front of the new machine for a demonstration. The engineer conducting the demonstration instructed these officers to feed a difficult tactical problem into it. The military leaders proceeded to describe a hypothetical situation to the computer and then asked the pivotal question: attack or ...

1088. Heroes

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Not long ago, a company in California opened Tinseltown Studios, a theme park devoted to celebrities and the power of stardom. Tinseltown had an interesting twist: for a measly $45 entrance fee, the guests would get to feel what it's like to be famous. Park employees were paid to fawn over visitors, cheer for them, line up along the streets and gawk at them, pester them for autographs. Paparazzi lurked around every corner, snapping photos of the park visitors. Reporters rushed up and asked for interviews. ...

1089. Building On A Firm Foundation

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of you are familiar with the off-beat humor of Jack Handey. I have a list of "Deep Thoughts" allegedly written by young people, ages four to fifteen, who were asked to write their thoughts in Jack Handey's style. Some of them are hilarious in a bizarre kind of way. Here's one by a youngster aged 10: My young brother asked me what happens after we die. I told him we get buried under a bunch of dirt and worms eat our bodies. I guess I should have told him the truth--that most of us go to Hell and burn ...

1090. Sons And Daughters Of God

Romans 8:18-27, Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever done anything really foolish? I mean, something so stupid that years later you still cringe when you think about it. Dr. James Dobson tells of a friend of his during their days in medical school. One day this man was walking across campus laden with books and briefcase. He passed by a fast food stand, and ordered something to eat and a milkshake to wash it down. He balanced it all on top of his briefcase and began looking for an empty table at which to sit. While looking, the milkshake got ...

1091. Finding Peace

John 20:19-23

Sermon

King Duncan

Recently, passengers on a flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles were surprised when a passenger got up from his seat and began pacing the aisles, reading his Bible very loudly. The other passengers and the flight crew were unable to get the man to sit down and be quiet, so they subdued the man and duct-taped him to his seat. When the plane landed, Los Angeles police officers took the man into custody. (1) What do you suppose got into this individual? Was he afraid of flying, or had he suffered some severe ...

1092. Grace: Amazing or Mystifying?

Romans 3:21-31

Sermon

King Duncan

“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith . . .” (3: 28 NIV) What are the most important lessons you’ve learned as you’ve gone through life? Author Adair Lara asked dozens of people to pass on the things they wish they’d known in their earlier years. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom: “Never marry a man who hates his mother.” -- Beth Clements “Never pass up an opportunity to use the rest room.”-- Sally Sanger “You will never, never win an argument with a meter maid.” -- Dean Backus And this final ...

1093. Building a House (Mother's Day)

Luke 6:46-49

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

As most of you know, I don't always preach a thematic sermon for special secular holidays such as the Fourth of July Sunday, Memorial Day, Mother's or Father's Day. It's also rare that I preach a sermon on a single theme, such as racism, war, abortion, pornography, poverty. But, hopefully, my sermons address all these pressing issues in the context of Scripture, as that scripture presents itself in the order of my preaching. For you who wonder about that approach to preaching and the fact that we don't ...

1094. Servants Without Portfolio

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Our second scripture lesson and the text for our message this morning is from Paul’s letter to the Philippian church. I’m going to be reading from the Revised Standard Version. I’m reading the 5th-11th verses of the 2nd chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippian church. This is the word of the Lord. Hear it. “How this mind among yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a ...

1095. Adoration And Confession

Psalm 103:1-22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

We thank you our heavenly father for the joy of being alive in you. We pray that you’ll come as the Holy Spirit, to cleanse our hearts and minds, to fill us with a power of discernment but also with the willingness to respond to that which you are calling us to. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. A little boy was asked by his pastor if he said his prayers every night. “No sir,” the fellow answered honestly. “Not every night. Some nights I don’t want anything.” That makes the point doesn’t it? Many of us do not ...

1096. Building A House

Luke 6:46-49

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

1097. Plain Talk

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Some months ago when Dan Burton and I were planning the order of worship for this Sunday, he suggested that he write an anthem on the Beatitudes for this service, since the gospel lesson for this morning, as you heard, is from the Gospel of Luke, and Luke's version of the Beatitudes. The only problem is that Luke's version of the Beatitudes is not the one that we are familiar with. The much more popular version of the Beatitudes is to be found in the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew, the Beatitudes serve as ...

1098. Proper 19

Exodus 13:17--14:31, Romans 14:1--15:13, Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 14:19-31 After the Egyptians suffered the loss of their firstborn sons, they permitted the Hebrews to leave the country. Upon second thought, they decided they needed them back to do their slave work. The Egyptian army pursued them to the Red Sea. By God's miracle the waters parted for the Israelites to cross over. However, when the Egyptians were crossing over the Sea, the water returned and the army was destroyed. Old Testament: Ecclesticus 27:30-28:7 Coming to terms with ...

1099. ASAP

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Last month one of the "My Turn" articles in Time magazine featured the experience of a dad bringing his daughter back home from her first year away at college. It was a west-to-east coast journey, made over the course of a few long days of driving. Father and daughter held long conversations. The dad navigated, picking main routes, by-passes, restaurants, and over-night stops. The daughter drove, chose all the music, and chatted with her other girlfriends. But Dad never left the house on the east coast. ...

1100. Lord, Teach Us How to Pray

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

James McCormick

There is something within each of us that pulls us in the direction of God. There is a God-shaped empty place in us that will not be satisfied with anything less than God. Often we look for life in all the wrong places, only to discover that what Augustine said is true, “Thou hast made us for Thyself O God, and our hearts are restless ‘til they find their rest in Thee.” God has given us the gift of prayer as the primary means by which we make connection with God and send our roots into the meaning of life ...

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