Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1126 to 1150 of 5000 results

1126. A Knife of Many Uses

Matthew 22:34-40

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A knife with many blades that includes a screwdriver, bottle opener, corkscrew, and some may even have a spoon. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have ever seen a knife like this? [Hold it up.] A lot of you. Can you tell me what I can do with this knife? [Let them answer.] That’s right, I can cut rope, take the skin off an apple or orange, and sharpen a stick. But what else can I do with this knife? [Let them answer.] Did you know that I can open a can, fix a loose screw, pull a cork ...

1127. The Win-Win Philosophy of Life

Sermon

Harold Warlick

The Christian tradition proclaims that life is to be lived peacefully and happily, in a spirit of thanksgiving. We hear the psalmist saying that God spreads a table for us in the middle of our enemies. We hear Jesus exhorting us to love our enemies. Let us consider, at a very practical level, whether or not this is possible! All of us have people we disagree with; all of us have our clashes, our conflicts with others. We resort to cunning. Alliances are dissolved and formed. Plans for revenge are made. We ...

1128. Marantha: Come Lord Jesus

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

A brand new pastor, fresh out of seminary, was preaching his first sermon in his first church. In seminary he had been taught to repeat his text numerous times for emphasis, and to pound on the pulpit occasionally. His text happened to be that promise of our Lord: "Behold I come quickly." At the beginning of the sermon he slammed the pulpit rather smartly and declared, "Behold I come quickly." Then about five minutes into the sermon he did the same thing. About ten minutes into the sermon he did it again. ...

1129. "Almost" Is A Sad Word

Matthew 19:16-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The word "almost"...It's a sad word in anybody's dictionary. It keeps company with expressions like "nearly," "if only," and (in the south) "near 'bout." It's a word that smacks of missed opportunities and fumbled chances. Tim KcKee was edged out for first place in the 400 meter race in the 1972 Olympic Games by two/thousandth of a second. He almost won a gold medal. Max Lucado, that inspired writer out in Texas, gives us these sad statements which revolve around "almost": "He almost got it together." "We ...

1130. Chapter III

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

"You will not handle the name of the Lord your God as though it is nothing, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who handles his name as though it is nothing." Exodus 20:7 One of the best plays that I have seen in a long time was the prizewinner of a few years ago titled "The Miracle Worker." The story of Ann Sullivan’s battle to educate the blind, young Helen Keller, the story is a masterpiece on human perseverance and love. Called by Helen’s wealthy southern parents to train their child, "Miss Annie ...

1131. Chapter IX

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

"You will not lie about your neighbor" Exodus 20:16 The eighth Commandment consists of only five words in the Hebrew. But despite its brevity, don’t be fooled into thinking that it is unimportant. It speaks to the heart of a fundamental human problem. Its intention is to prevent one man from destroying another with his tongue. In all probability, the original purpose of this guide for living was to assure truth in the law courts. Even today before a witness takes his place before the bench he usually must ...

1132. CHARIOTEER

Jeremiah 51:21; 1 Kings 9:22

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

Jeremiah 51:21 - "... with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer." 1 Kings 9:22 - "But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves; they were the soldiers, they were his officials, his commanders, his captains, his chariot commanders and his horsemen." A chariot was a two-wheeled vehicle used mainly in war, although at first this was true of the other nations rather than Israel. Actually, because of its terrain, chariots were largely unsuited for use in Palestine, and for that reason, the ...

1133. THE DAY LABORER

Deuteronomy 24:15; Matthew 20:1

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

Deuteronomy 24:15 - "you shall give him his hire on the day he earns it, before the sun goes down (for he is poor, and sets his heart upon it); lest he cry against you to the Lord and it be sin in you." Matthew 20:1 - "For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard." In every city there were many people who worked by the day. If we read the entire parable of the householder, from which our text is taken (Matthew 20:1-16), we will find ...

1134. POLICEMAN

Acts 16:28

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

Acts 16:28 - "The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens." A school has rules to keep students from hurting or disturbing each other. Cities, counties, states, and nations make laws that large groups of people may live together in peace. Rules and laws, however, serve their purpose only so long as everyone obeys school rules, because he does not want to interfere with the rights of other people and because he knows that everyone ...

1135. SHEPHERD

Gen. 47:3; Luke 2:8

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

Genesis 47:3 - "Pharaoh said to his brothers, ‘What is your occupation?’ And they said to Pharaoh, ‘Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.’ " Luke 2:8 - "And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." This is one of the oldest and most important occupations among the ancient Hebrews. There were two types of shepherds: nomads who followed their flocks from one grazing area to another, and those who lived in villages. The shepherd protected his ...

1136. SHIPBUILDER

2 Chronicles 20:36

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

2 Chronicles 20:36 - "He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish, and they built the ships in Eziongeber." Although many of us enjoy the sea and a great many Americans own and sail boats of many kinds, if we stop to think about the contrasts between our country and Palestine, perhaps we will be able to understand the reasoning behind a statement that the Jews were not a sea-minded people. Look at a map of Palestine, and compare it with our own country, and look at the differences in coastal area! ...

1137. SOLDIER

1 Sam. 4:10; Acts 12:18

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

1 Samuel 4:10 - "So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home; and there was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers." Acts 12:18 - "Now when day came, there was no small stir among the soldiers over what had become of Peter." Before Saul there was no regular Israelite army, but, when a need arose, the tribes would gather together, each tribe with its own banner, and rally to the cause. And when the situation had been ...

1138. No Retaliation

Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

What do you do when a competitor puts out a false report about your product to the customers? Do you circulate a negative report about his product? When you are not included on someone's invitation list, what do you do? Cut that person off your invitation list? If someone calls you a racist, what's your reaction? Do you shout, "You're a bigger one!"? Honest answers to these questions reveal whether we are with or against Jesus in one of his most radical stands. He taught us never to retaliate, but instead ...

1139. Forgive Us Our Debts

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Brett Blair

As with so many of the stories of Jesus, the parable of the debtors arose out of a question that was posed to Jesus. Simon Peter said to him: “Master, if my brother sins against me, how many times should I forgive him? Seven times? Even as he asks that question my mind cannot help but think about children and how they will sometimes confess something they do wrong expecting to get praise from a teacher or a parent because they were so honest. In the same sense, Simon Peter by asking this question is not ...

1140. The Centurion - Arranging Death, Announcing Life

Mark 15:33-41

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

Was I there, did you ask? Yes, I was there all right. I had to be. I was the man in charge of the soldiers who crucified Jesus of Nazareth. It was a day I’ll never forget, the day when the sun refused to shine. You won’t find my name in the Bible, but if you study any of the traditions associated with the death of Jesus, you may learn that I was called Longinus. But my name is not important. What you should know is that I carried out the arrangements for the crucifixion. As I did my job and watched what ...

1141. All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

In the middle 1960s, a seminary student interned in a Lutheran congregation in Berlin, Germany. This intern was much interested in the history of World War II, since he was born about the time his father was fighting in Germany. However, he soon discovered that most of the members of that congregation did not want to talk about the war. It was too painful. But one day, an uncle of one of the intern’s friends came to see him and shared this personal story.1 He was an engineer on the train from Amsterdam to ...

1142. The Marvelous Style Of Jesus: Truth And Love

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Joseph M. Freeman

Jesus' use of parables is his way of communicating a striking truth with significant love. In my own journey as a Christian person, the most amazing quality of God which has been so instructive to me, is that He approaches us with equal doses of love and truth. How different He is than us. When I see someone in error and that error has personally hurt me, I go for that person's jugular, to deliver the truth, but little or no love accompanies it. Hence, the person becomes defensive and flatly refuses the ...

1143. Authenticity vs. Showmanship

Matthew 23:1-12

Sermon

Joseph M. Freeman

Maybe both the best and the worst of us in humanity are far better preachers than we are doers and deliverers of what we preach and teach. And maybe maturity has everything to do with our genuine willingness to bring a greater congruity between our esteemed words and those actions compatible with, not contradictory of, those words. Jesus, fully divine and fully human, loved and valued not just the right deeds, but also the right motives and attitudes. We, being fully human and ever spiritually in need of ...

1144. A Man With Lips on Fire

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

God’s chosen nation - through which he would send the world’s Redeemer - had been brought to a pinnacle of earthly glory by King David. When his son, Solomon, assumed the throne, he consolidated David’s gains and led Israel to a power and a prominence, a prosperity and a prestige, unequalled in the world of his day. The Queen of Sheba, who had been told of the wealth of Solomon’s court, could not believe it. She was not convinced. She came to see for herself. Her verdict: "The half has never yet been told ...

1145. They Also Serve Who Wait

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Thomas Long

"The whole thing is rotten," said Morris Weiser, as he tapped his cane on the vaulted ceiling of the old and decaying synagogue in New York’s lower east side. Morris Weiser was among the few Jews who survived the Janowska concentration camp in Poland, and now, a retired butcher in his seventies, his one remaining passion is to keep alive the Chasam Sopher synagogue. The synagogue has few Sabbath worshipers now, but Morris has put all of his savings into this place, sustains it by his constant effort, keeps ...

1146. The Most Beautiful Word

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

What is a sinner? We might have many definitions. For instance, Pascal put it, "There are only two kinds of men, the righteous who believe themselves a sinner and the sinners who believe themselves righteous." Or Mary Wilson Little put it, "Men who make no pretensions of being good one day out of the week are known as sinners." Or, as Oscar Wilde has said, "Nothing makes one so vain as being told that one is a sinner." It would be so simple, wouldn’t it, if the fact of sin could be brushed off as easily as ...

1147. Simeon

Drama

Charles L. Koester

INTRODUCTION: [This portion is read from the lecturn by the introducer or narrator.] Though Romans troops and unscrupulous tax collectors caused many peole in Palestine to despair, there were those who waited patiently for the deliverance they were sure God would accomplish. Among their number was an old and saintly man named Simeon. Simeon looked to God’s promise of a Messiah as His source of personal comfort, and the only hope of Israel. He kept the faith. He sang through the storm and trials of life. ...

1148. OUR LORD SMITTEN

Sermon

E. Jerry Walker

Nearly all the morning hours had been exhausted in the trial which left the centurion with the task of crucifying three condemned men. The sun was pressing toward its meridian, and the desert wind from the east which had prevailed during the night was quiet. A tense, hot stillness hung over Jerusalem, harsh as the dust that fogged the air, raised by the feet of thousands of pilgrims entering and leaving the temple compound. It clung to the skin and caked the nostrils, and the centurion longed for the day ...

1149. Crowned With Victory

John 14:15-31

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

Easter is the greatest of all holidays. It is the greatest because it celebrates the most outstanding event which ever happened in this world. There has been nothing in all history which has been more significant, more meaningful to people than Christ’s victory over death. Today marks the birthday of our eternal hope. Today is the anniversary of the victory of the human soul over death. It was on that first Easter morning, when the angel calmly and briefly announced, "He is not here, he is risen," that ...

1150. The Final Farewell

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

Sermon

George Bass

The Ascension of our Lord used to be celebrated universally and dramatically. Some churches had special holes in their roofs that were used on Ascension Day; when the words were read - "While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven" - a likeness of the risen Lord would be hauled up from the floor of the nave to and through the roof and out of sight of the people worshiping below. The same hole was used on the Day of Pentecost when, in some of these same churches, roses were ...

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