Sermon and Worship Resources

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Acts 19:23-41

Sermon Aid

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... a night-time attack, killed and tossed overboard. Such events were not uncommon. Passengers at sea had little protection and the blackness of a moonless night at sea was a perfect cover for such dirty work. Sailors and sea captains were likely to overlook this sort of thing. They did not want to have any conflict with Roman authorities or even arouse their suspicions. Even if a captain knew about such a devilish plot, he would be likely to shrug off this kind of murder as a religious argument between Jews ...

1127. Return to Jerusalem

Acts 20:7-12

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... account (Luke 18:31-35), indicating that Jesus foresaw what would happen and tried to explain it to the disciples, but that they failed to grasp the full meaning of what he said. Now in another account from the same writer there is a sort of parallel, with Paul’s followers tearfully trying to show him the evil that possibly awaited him, while Paul deliberately ignored them. In both cases, Luke makes it clear that there must be willingness to sacrifice even life itself to fulfill a commitment. Reluctantly ...

1128. Paul’s Midnight Ride

Acts 22:30--23:11

Sermon Aid

... . Whenever a hated Roman gave such an order to round up the Jewish leaders, there was bound to be a lot of grumbling. Led by the High Priest Ananias who was completing his tenth year in office, the seventy-one councillors formed a sort of Supreme Court for the Jews. The panel was made up of prominent elders, lawyers and members of influential Jewish families, representing the parties of the Pharisees and Sadduccees. The Pharisees were the highly orthodox group, including the religious purists and most of ...

1129. Shipwrecked on Malta

Acts 27:1-12, Acts 27:13-26, Acts 27:27-44

Sermon Aid

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... and southeast" (some translators make it "northwest and southwest") may have been due to a misinterpretation of what he heard during the discussion. Luke’s reference to the "captain and owner of the ship" is also puzzling. A ship of this sort would be in imperial service, particularly since the centurion seemed to take command. There might be a sea captain or shipmaster who directed the navigation of the vessel, and a representative of the government, perhaps another centurion, on board. The context ...

1130. Rome at Last

Acts 28:11-16

Sermon Aid

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... , under protective custody or "house arrest," but free to counsel, write and preach. He aggressively promoted the gospel, using every opportunity to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. He even influenced some of the hard-boiled Roman soldiers, who were a sort of captive audience for his lecturing. Among his converts during this period were some members of "Caesar’s household," he wrote to the Philippians. By letters, he kept in touch with his longtime friends and associates, urging Mark and Timothy to ...

1131. Christ the King Sunday

Luke 23:26-43

Illustration

Theodore F. Schneider

... anxiety as our seminary classmates gathered that day. To a person they had been surprised when the professor announced that there would be a final exam. Everyone was asking, "How can you have a final exam in preaching?" How could one prepare? What sort of questions might be asked? Throughout the year there had been lectures on sermon preparation and style, but mostly it had been a course of practice and critique. Finally, the professor, who was himself a splendid and engaging preacher, strode into the room ...

1132. This God’s For Real!

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

... rejected - and absorbed his Lord’s rebuke for it - the thought that God-in-Christ might suffer and be bloodied in the process of embracing his creation, Jesus drops the other shoe: Disciples of the Living God will suffer similarly. Suddenly the lifeless sort of god seems preferable again. Clearly Peter didn’t know exactly what he was confessing when affirming that the Master was the Christ of God. Even when the promise and the warning had been given him - that following the flesh-and-blood, embraceable ...

1133. For Christ’s Sake, What’s Going On?

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Michael L. Sherer

... not be "solitary Christians," keeping our relationship with God a one-to-one affair? Quite simply, we don’t live our Christian lives that way because we can’t. We were not made to live in a solitary style. It would not be long before a crushing sort of loneliness and hopelessness swept over us, persuading us that by ourselves we could do nothing to effect a better situation in the world. That, of course, is true. We can’t. No more than any fiercely glowing coal, removed from the warm hearth and left ...

1134. Opportunism? Or Opportunity?

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

... but the right to make use of it, lost. Before we laugh too easily or judge too harshly or shake heads too readily, let’s put ourselves into this picture. God has given us a planet, rich in natural resources, watered and warmed without our asking, creeping with all sorts of living things, thriving with all manner of productive vegetation. He asks us to make use of it. When we are finished, we are to return it. But what are we doing with what we are given on approval? We can’t drink some of the water any ...

1135. Looking At Our Chrismons: A Star

Matthew 2:1-12

Children's Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

Object: A Star-shaped Chrismon ornament, or a different sort of star ornament. Good evening, girls and boys. This is it. It's Christmas Eve. This is what we have been waiting for. This is the night. All during Advent we have been looking at our Chrismons. A Chrismon is a Christ-monogram. They remind us of something about Jesus ...

1136. Naming the Divine Baby

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... village of Nazareth just about six months before the birth of Jesus. Joseph, a young carpenter, is deeply troubled. His fiance Mary is pregnant, and he knows that he is not responsible. She says it is the Lord’s doing, but Joseph is a hard-headed practical sort. He fears that she has been raped, perhaps by one of those hated Roman soldiers. Maybe she fears that if she tells the truth, Joseph will do something rash that will endanger his life. Since she refuses to budge from her story, he has decided to ...

1137. The Blessing Of Bondage

Genesis 2:4-25, Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

The Bible’s story of Creation and the Fall gives rise to all sorts of stories, like this one: Adam and Eve were walking near the Garden of Eden, showing it to their son, Abel. Abel saw that it was a very beautiful place, and asked, "Daddy, why don’t we live there?" "Well, son, we once did," Adam replied, "but your mother ate ...

1138. Faith isn’t Easy - But it Works!

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... to what is of prime importance. Harry Golden, the wonderful storyteller, tells of a time when he was young and asked his father, "If you don't believe in God, why do you go to synagogue so regularly?" His father answered, "Jews go to synagogue for all sorts of reasons. My friend Garfinkle, who is Orthodox, goes to talk to God. I go to talk to Garfinkle." Abraham’s calling on Yahweh’s name means he had decided to cling to no one but the Promiser. Even among the "unbelievers" (the Canaanites), his altar ...

1139. Bitter-Sweet Recollections

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... , in fact, that only slaves, aliens, and foreigners could die on a cross. A Roman citizen, no matter how heinous the crime, was too good for crucifixion, yet the Son of God died on a cross-tree! CRUCIFIED! Isn’t that an ugly word? It arouses all sorts of revulsion in us. There are many horrible ways to die, but crucifixion has to be among the very worst. It is ignominious, tortuous, and shameful. In our recalling it, we remember that when his body was stretched prone, then nailed to the cross, the gibbet ...

1140. No Longer Spectators - But Participants!

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... m sorry, but Sally can’t go. She has to stay here and help me clean the house and get supper." Sally smiled, "That’s all been taken care of. Johnny said he wanted to help you today, didn’t you, Johnny?" Then she whispered, "Remember the duck." This sort of thing went on for several days. Johnny did all the chores, his and those assigned to Sally. Finally, he could stand it no longer, so he went to his Grandmother and confessed it all. His Grandmother took him in her arms and said, "I know, Johnny. I ...

1141. Which Jesus? This Jesus!

Acts 17:1-9

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... "This Jesus" Is With Us Personally As Jesus himself drew near to the hurting disciples who walked the Emmaus Road, so he does the same for us. That’s what my heart begs for, doesn’t yours? - a God not afar off, but a God close by. We sing all sorts of hymns that indicate the crying need of the soul: "Just a Closer Walk With Thee," "Draw Me Nearer," "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go," "Still, Still With Thee," "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Persons of all time have echoed the urgency to have a Jesus ...

1142. "Sneak Up On ‘Em!"

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... comes in many ways. In Philippi, they put Paul in jail. In Thessalonica, there was an uproar with political overtones. In Beroea, an angry crowd was the reason the Christians sent him on a ship to safety. Here in Athens, the resistance was of the sort with which we are all familiar - they ridiculed him. The Athenian reaction of bland toleration, of ridicule, of calling him "this babbler," is not easy to take, but it can never douse the flaming zeal of the Christian who carries a desperation for the souls ...

1143. Laborers Needed for the Harvest

Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... ’t ultimately matter whether we’re living in the last days with Satan raging, knowing that his time to ruin souls is short; or whether moral conditions are extremely low, or whether world or national political collapse is all but imminent. The times, sorts and conditions of people and nations are not really the factor - the proportion of our prayers and the gospel proclamation is. It doesn’t finally matter that our world is saturated with vocal athesists; they will not gain ground if the pure gospel ...

1144. Do You Have the Great Pearl?

Matthew 13:47-52, Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... , on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. "Have you understood ...

1145. We Are Driven!

Jeremiah 20:7-18

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... crazy. There is no stopping it until the kettle is removed from the fire. That is why it seems to me that it is foolish and vain to think that we can get church members to witness for church growth by putting on a churchwide evangelism campaign with all sorts of meetings, programs, and gimmicks. If the fire of faith were burning, our witnessing would be automatic. The Fire of Faith The fire in Jeremiah’s bones was the fire of faith, for in our text he said, "The Lord is with me as a dread warrior ..." If ...

1146. A Book Which Reads Us

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Robert Bachelder

... for a perfect model of ourselves." C. S. Lewis made the same point when he observed: Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise. The longings which arise in us when we first fall in love, or first think of some foreign country, or first take up some subject that excites us, are ...

1147. Peter’s Net

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Richard F. Bansemer

... lives, but could not have it. Usually we can have whatever we wish, if the wish is reasonable and reachable. But there are things that seem to escape us. No matter what is done, reaching or possessing or having that thing is impossible. That is the sort of predicament that can cause more than a little frustration. We all know persons, or are one ourselves, who would do anything, literally anything, to have a loved one back from the dead. At this point, however, there is no compromise. God is firm, and he ...

1148. Solomon’s Search

2 Chronicles 1:1-17

Sermon

Richard F. Bansemer

... knows what I mean.) "Dear God: "It’s a funny kind of night tonight, if you know what I mean. No one being here makes me think about you, and about me. God, I really don’t know you very well, and sometimes I wonder if I’m doing the sort of things you want me to do. Now I don’t mean bad things, but good things. I don’t seem to do many good things anymore. I wouldn’t dare admit that to anyone but you, because you won’t tell, will you? Anyhow, I just wanted you to ...

1149. Stephen’s Stones

Acts 7:54--8:1a

Sermon

Richard F. Bansemer

... almost impossible. But what about that impossible time - that "last straw" that snapped the power to forgive like a brittle twig - that final deed that made forgiveness seem weak, and inappropriate, and "a casting of pearls before swine"? In place of forgiveness comes a sort of arrogance, or determination, not to forgive. We settle in our minds that the person who sinned against us will forever be a rascal, a scoundrel, or worse. What kind of men threw stones at Stephen? What kind of persons were they? They ...

1150. An Almost Anonymous Apostle

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

George Bass

... , but the sound was too big that our ears could not catch. My father was out of Hiroshima city. He said he and people over there heard a big bang but all the people in Hiroshima city did not hear any sound at all. We only saw a sort of yellowish flash and the next moment everybody was crushed underneath the broken houses." He explained, "All the Japanese houses were blown up and fell on us in small pieces and covered us up." Tazu believed that he was dying but had enough strength and presence of mind ...

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