Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1101 to 1125 of 2962 results

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Brett Blair

... Quentin Prison. After his third year on death row something happened. One day he was getting ready to spend time exercising when the guard said, "You're going to miss Mother Teresa. She's coming today to see you guys." Yea, sure, he said, "one more of those designs they have on us." A little later he heard more commotion about it and thought it might be true, that Mother Teresa was actually coming to see them. Another guard said, "Don't go into your cells and lock up. Mother Teresa stayed to see you guys ...

1102. Report of a Secret Meeting

John 3:1-21

Sermon

George Bass

... a few sacrifices, say a couple prayers, or even utter an occasional mea culpa "I have sinned" as we make our way through this sacred season. The temptation many of us face is simply that we take our stand with Nicodemus, who stood for a legal system designed to make people right with God. Human beings were left with an impossible task: through the deeds they performed under the Law they were to become worthy of God’s love and companionship. The system didn’t work then, and it doesn’t work now. You see ...

1103. The Final Farewell

Luke 24:50-53, Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

George Bass

... Webb says, "We never know the hour when his Cross will come our way (and we become his witnesses). In Coventry they still tell the story of the bomb that leveled the historic cathedral. Basil Spence, the architect of coventry, deliberately designed the handsome modern cathedral to symbolize the Resurrection, with its great 42 by 70 foot ‘Christ in Glory’ tapestry, by Graham Sutherland. It stands in stark contrast to the destroyed, ‘Good Friday’ old cathedral. When the new building was completed, it ...

1104. The Technicolor Sign

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

Larry Powell

... on the grounds of some minute legal technicality. Justice came swiftly and the consequences were clearly defined. According to custom, both brothers were brutally branded on the forehead with the letters "ST." The marking would be recognized by all as the usual designation for a "sheep thief." One of the brothers, too embarrassed to remain in the community, wandered from one village to another attempting to disguise his reputation. However, true to the old adage, "a bird never flies so far that it escapes ...

1105. A Thimble Full Of Ocean

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Larry Powell

... , rendering it useless except as a revered object. To mouth the Lord’s Prayer unthinkingly as a perfunctory repetition at Sunday morning worship, or to rapidly recite it on other occasions, is to entomb it as a revered object, preventing it from doing what it is designed to do. To pray "... forgive us our trespasses" is to connect with power. It was in recognition of the power of which we have been speaking that the writer of First John proclaims, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will ...

1106. Behold the Blood of the Covenant

Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon

Larry Powell

... had dramatically transformed the Passover supper into the "Lord’s Supper" on the evening of his "last supper" with them. Moreover, on this memorable Thursday, he had commanded that they should continue to do this in remembrance of him. Hence, the designation "Maundy" (command) Thursday. The pivotal phrase, which blanches the symbolism of the Lord’s Supper not only with the Passover observance but also with the Jewish idea of covenant ratification, is "the New Covenant in my blood." Blood must be shed ...

1107. Advent: Lament, Repent

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Richard L. Eslinger

... God will come down in judgment on those who mock God, and the sooner the better! In the church, too, there are enemies who deserve the wrath of God. We also have more personal enemies: those who persist in attacking us. Sometimes the attacks are designed, like a lawsuit or something. But most of the time, our enemy attacks us just by being, and thriving - driving a better car, making more money, and (probably) cheating on the IRS. Finally, after repeated attempts at prayer for an enemy, it is refreshing to ...

1108. We May Have to Change Our Name

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Richard L. Eslinger

... of praise springing forth together. They were never separated, or the movement would quickly have ground to a halt. The people would gather in a church hall for last-minute instructions. The march route would be explained. The target would be designated - a segregated bus station, the court house, city hall. Marshalls would be appointed and the importance of non-violence underlined once more. Then the march would begin, past the sullen groups shouting obscenities. Accompanied by state patrol cars with riot ...

1109. Luther of Wittenberg

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

... . The group is arguing that the Reformation wing of the Christian Church has just as much right to exist as does the Roman Catholic wing. Led by Martin Luther’s theologian/friend, Philip Melanchthon, the princes presented a confession of faith designed to show how truly Christian they are and how much false information has been circulated about them by their enemies. Reportedly, the emperor was not impressed. Martin Luther, who approved the document, stayed away, since the ban on him is still honored ...

1110. King of Atlanta

Romans 8:28-39

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

... at the White House. ANTAGONIST: The man really was a dreamer. It’s pure idealism to hope for that sort of cooperation. There’s too much hatred in the world for anything like that. PROTAGONIST: I once heard a church leader say that the Christian Church was designed to be a colony of heaven on the earth. If that’s true, then we can at least begin to make the dream come true. After all, whenever Christians begin to take the teachings of Christ seriously, a little bit of heaven breaks out right here in ...

1111. Worthwhile Arguments

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

Richard Patt

... or Tuesday! I thought to myself, "What a worthless argument!" "What were you arguing about on the road?" Much of our arguing reminds me of a little syndicated column in our daily newspaper, called "Trivia Corner." It’s a list of five questions each day, designed to have you wrack your brain about mostly-unimportant social or historical details of the past, the answers to which add up to a big zero anyway. The awful truth that emerges from all this is that much of our arguing is pursued to prove ourselves ...

1112. This Is Water

John 7:25-44

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... . He then spoke his last word on earth. "AMEN," he said. One member was gifted to write and to teach. Another benefited a short time before his death. One member’s life was enlightened by the gift of teaching of another member. That is as God has designed it. The Holy Spirit calls us and enlightens us with his gifts. He also sanctifies us in the true faith. To sanctify means to make holy or bring us closer to God. We often grow closer to God through adversity. A Christian family wrote: Several years ago ...

1113. Then He Went Home

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... alive today) is to bring us back to God when we sin. The refusal to be brought back to God, even when we hear the truth and know the truth, is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. In other words, the unforgivable sin is not to repent. God has designed us so that our cooperation is essential to our restoration to God. Our will must turn to accept and embrace God’s will. We must turn back to God by the power of the Spirit of God. We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Repentance ("metanoia" in the original ...

1114. The Kingdom And The Seed

Mark 4:4-20; 30-32

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... seed of life? The third parable about soil is the parable of the mustard seed (4:30-32). The Kingdom of God, like the mustard seed, starts small, but grows into a large shrub with many branches. These parables of the soil are designed to take the familiar and use it to show something new. New perspectives are thus encouraged. New Kingdom participation is encouraged. What is The Kingdom Like? Like four different kinds of soil, Jesus here urges responsive hearing. He warns against spiritual deafness. Some ...

1115. Coping with Fear, Worry, and Anxiety

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... ." Perhaps the world needs to realize this truth more deeply. Much of our overwhelming fear comes from our confused thinking about what is real. What is the nature of the universe? What is the character of God? Is not the universe solid? Was it not designed to produce and develop real persons? Can that be accomplished when everything is made easy and is smoothly polished? Something magnificent is being accomplished here and we are a part of it. Somehow Christ comes through to me as Reality, and I trust him ...

1116. Faith As Healing Energy

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... of the body. It can be so specific that it has been called "Spiritual energy injection." Faith makes a difference in health. Through faith (trust), energy channels are opened between the Creator and the created and our bodies begin to function as they are designed to. Even when we feel as though we’re cornered, we are never completely trapped. We are never totally imprisoned. There is always one side of the box left open. We can walk out. One side of our imprisonment always stands open - the side ...

1117. Spiritual Blindness

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... experience may have been years ago. What would it mean never to have had these visual encounters? I cannot imagine; it is beyond me. For one who has never seen, the experience takes on an altogether different meaning. Shapes, colors, designs, textures all have meaning which the person with vision cannot comprehend. Are we not coming to a new understanding of persons? Persons with handicapping conditions represent ten percent of the American population. It covers a wide range: visual, hearing, speech ...

1118. Counting The Cost?

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... is full grown, and the Lord rules the soul.3 Life is made up of small things. People of great spirit are those who take these small things and weave them into a tapestry of love, service, compassion, understanding. The fabric may be uneven, the design faulty at times; the thread may break now and then, and the colors sometimes clash. In the end, however, it is an original creation, free from deceit, and radiantly beautiful. Not long ago a man in Jacksonville, Florida, told of hearing his grandmother recall ...

1119. A King - A Kingdom

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... .) Here the Grand Monarch dwelt in an opulence previously undreamed of. Seven of the highest-ranking nobles in the realm were required to assist the king in awakening each morning and donning his shirt. Living was on the most lavish scale ever designed, dominated by an elaborate and meticulous etiquette. Constantly attended by his family, mistresses, ministers of state, members of the aristocracy, and an army of servants, Louis XIV "was a god in his temple celebrating his own worship in the midst of his ...

1120. Twenty-First Century Reformation

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... , deductions for Social Security, sick leave, extra charges if credit cards are used - admitting all the while the letter kills but thus far the spirit has not given much life. We are enslaved. We wear masks. We must have expensive condominiums, foreign cars, designer jeans - all because our friends and business associates possess such. We say what people want us to say; we read books that everybody reads; we go to the same movie; we all watch the same, tired television programs. Why? Because we want to ...

1121. Called to Be Saints

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... , the founder of psychoanalysis, probed the human mind and established patterns for the study of human behavior. The effects of his work continue to shape how people think of themselves and others. Henry Ford taught the world how to design and manufacture modern appliances - in mass - and how to advertise, distribute, and sell them. Albert Einstein, the theoretical physicist, formulated the theories of special and general relativity. In reality, he was the father of nuclear fission. Are you disappointed ...

1122. The Word To The Wise

Proverbs 2:1-22

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

... , not sufficient for perplexities that flow across our pathway daily. Snap judgments, quick solutions, hasty answers that deny the struggle of hard thinking will not serve. The wise seek wisdom at its source, with God - the God who in his wisdom shaped the earth, designed it and created it - the God who filled the earth with life and gave life everything it needs - the God, the only God, who could conceive the plan for human rescue from its greatest problem, sin and death, in that most amazing spectacle of ...

1123. The Lord Has Saved His People

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

... indeed? Do we look like God’s saved people? Do we march with confidence and courage and conviction to our mission? Do we radiate the gladness of salvation? Or has our faith become the dull routine and grind of following the rule book, with carefully designed allowances for failures? Can You Hang On? Pointedly I want to ask, "Can you hang onto that?" Regardless of the circumstance of life, no matter what, can you hang onto that, "The Lord has saved his people"? When everything your life has known or hoped ...

1124. What Was That About?

Daniel 7:1-14

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

... . The book of Daniel is the product of its history. It was born in the religious, the political, the economic circumstances of the times, and it expresses both the hopes and fears that echo and re-echo the faith of God’s own people. It was designed to strengthen faith, encourage hope, and - at a time when all seemed hopeless, as it does for multitudes today - to vindicate that faith and hope. Although the scene is set in Babylon during the captivity, the book was written to address a period of persecution ...

1125. Thomas

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Brett Blair

... when a bitter cold wind chapped my face. I have heard the cries of families who have lost someone closer than life itself, and I have thought silently to myself: Is it all true? Is resurrection reality? Are the scoffers correct? Is it all simply ancient myth designed to get us through the night? But then I am reminded that it was Alfred Lloyd Tennyson who said: “There lives more faith in honest doubt than in half the creeds.” So we find ourselves crying out, as did the disciple off old: Lord, I believe ...

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