Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1176 to 1200 of 4977 results

1176. An Unnerving Experience

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... has to carry as much weight as the verse in Matthew 19 that says, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these (14).” For some people, this is no problem, but it’s not quite so simple for mainline Christians who believe that Jesus revealed to us definitively the nature of God. We believe that all scripture is to be interpreted in light of who Jesus was and is. So there are many parts of the Old Testament that give us problems. We try ...

1177. Afraid No More

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... We do not go into any situation alone. That is the practical implication of the holy Trinity. God created us. Christ saved us. The Holy Spirit is with us. Time magazine had a cover sometime back that was quite striking. In big, bold letters was the phrase, “FEAR NOT.” (8) That was quite heartening to people with a biblical background for those words come straight from scripture. But the good news Time was proclaiming was not about faith in God. Rather it was about how “science is offering new hope for ...

1178. Mark 4: 26-34

Mark 4:26-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... endings. The mustard seed was proverbially used to describe something of minuscule proportions (see Matthew 17:20) in first century culture. Likewise, the resulting mustard plant was well know as a large, fast-growing herbaceous shrub, and one that could be quite invasive if left unchecked in the garden (see Pliny, Natural History, 19, 170-171). Again, Jesus’ comparison is surprising for its commonness and lack of grandeur. As Jesus describes the ordinary mustard shrub, grown into a size large enough so ...

1179. A Life of Trust

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... ? I wish it meant that you and I could live as simply and with as much confidence as young Curt lives, trusting our heavenly Father to take care of us. I suspect, however, that this would be asking a little too much. With all due respect, our world is not quite as simple as Curt’s. Still, we can learn from him, as we can learn from St. Paul. What does it mean to live by faith, and not by sight? It means, first of all, we cannot know the future. Life happens. And sometimes life can be exceedingly cruel. In ...

1180. Nobody Is Too Big to Fail. Nobody Is Too Small to Prevail.

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... high school reunion, you would have talked to a hugely geeky guy, a wannabe working on some weirdo-ideas about some technological wizardry. Ten Year Anniversary grade for Bill Gates: Loser. But what about the 20th Anniversary of the Bill Gates high school reunion? Quite a different story. How about the richest man in the world? Worth billions. No longer a geek, but “The Microsoft Magnate.” Who’d a thunk it! Don’t listen to those who tell you, some people and companies are “too big to fail.” No ...

1181. John the Baptist, Sanctified Indifference, & the King of Pop

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... kind of discipline. I’m going to close this sermon with a tribute to the Michael Jackson I shall remember the most. It’s Michael singing 20 years ago at the Grammy Awards, with a gospel back-up choir. He’s singing “Man in the Mirror,” and singing quite a bit of it on his knees. [You can find it on YouTube at the following url. Or you can just listen to an audio recording. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zpTQCQEFhg As you hear Michael Jackson sing these words, make them your words. Will you risk ...

1182. I Am the Bread of Life - Sermon Starter

John 6:25-59

Illustration

Brett Blair

... choose from. You will pay little attention to the price, not realizing that the packaging that the bread is wrapped in actually costs more than the wheat that is in the bread. All in all, you will think it a very uneventful trip, but you will be wrong. It is quite difficult for me, as an American, to understand the importance of bread unless I turn on my TV and watch what is going on in so many parts of the world today. When there is no staff of life there is suffering and famine. A simple loaf of bread ...

1183. Getting Rid of Anger

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

King Duncan

... put away from you with all malice.” Do you have any of those negative emotions within your heart or mind? Let’s face it. There are many otherwise committed Christians who have a great deal of anger within them. There are committed Christians who are quite bitter. There are others with malice in their hearts. Paul asks us to look within at any negative emotions that may dwell there. The late great radio personality Paul Harvey once told about a medical student who was doing a rotation in toxicology at a ...

1184. Can The Church Count On Me?

1 Chronicles 29:3

Sermon

James Merritt

... email to his church and it had a big headline on the top of the page and it said, "The Pastor Quits Sports!" Underneath it was this paragraph. Football in the fall, basketball in the winter, baseball in the spring and summer, your pastor has been an avid sports fan all of his ... life, but I've had it. I am quitting going to sports events once and for all. I am never going again. Would you like to know why? Here are the reasons that he ...

1185. Got Milk?

1 Peter 2:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

... a newborn baby you know that when that baby wakes up crying, it wants something wet called milk. You also know that nothing else will satisfy that baby- rattles, toys, dolls, or music. He wants milk. There are certain times in life that nothing else but milk will do. Quite frankly, life is no better than dry cake apart from the milk of God's word. You must do everything you can to stimulate your hunger for God's word. You can do that in several ways. One is by doing what you are doing today - coming to hear ...

1186. It’s Humble or the Umbles

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... that he could go on fighting for the Empire. The function of the Christian’s “armor” described in today’s Ephesians text is quite different. The function of the “armor of God” is to keep the faithful alive — alive in Christ. Did you hear it? Did you ... danger we’re in: from “mumble” we move to “fumble.” Nothing drastic or deadly. Just a bit of imbalance, things just not quite going right in our lives and in our churches. We start to let things drop, let things go, and whatever we do ...

1187. I Am the Path

Jn 6:56-69; Mk 12:35-40

Illustration

Brett Blair

... and asked the native if he could get him out. The native said he could. "All right," said the missionary, "show me the way." The native said, "Walk," so they walked and hacked their way through unmarked jungle for more than an hour. The missionary got worried. "Are you quite sure this is the way? Where is the path?" The native said, "Bwana, in this place there is no path. I am the path." I think that it is here that Peter has one of his more honest and real moments. His guard was down because so many people ...

1188. I’ve Lost the Cutting Edge

2 Kings 6:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... never have to cut one piece of wood; just take the end that is blunt and hit it as hard as you can just as if you were logging." Well this man worked for half a day at double the pay he was normally getting and he quit. The psychologist asked, "Why did you quit?" The logger said, "Because every time I move an ax I have to see the chips fly. If I don't see the chips fly it's no fun." I am convinced that there are a lot of people in the church who get no joy out ...

1189. Me - A - Missionary?

Acts 1:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... seminary trained, great at public speaking or even extremely knowledgeable of the Bible to fulfill your role as a missionary. Quite frankly, if those were the requirements very few people could ever do any mission work. The first requirement to ... . I hope all this sounds good and exciting to you and kind of gets your heart pumping and your blood racing a little bit, but quite frankly none of this will happen unless one other thing happens. The fire of missions will never be ignited in our heart or in our ...

1190. Baptism - FAQ's

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

James Merritt

... what he wanted, and the owner said, "Well, I have two parakeets. I have one for $100 and one for $25. The man said, "They look alike, what is the difference?" He said, Well, the $100 parakeet sings and talks all the time; the $25 parakeet just doesn't talk quite as much." The man said, "Well, I think I will save money and buy the $25 parakeet." Well after a week he came back and said, "That bird hasn't said one word." The owner said, "Did he peck the little bell?" He said, "You didn't say anything about ...

1191. Why Me?

Proverbs 16:4, Colossians 1:16

Sermon

James Merritt

... you are or where you're from - if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open." (Acts 10:35, MSG) It is never too late to live a purpose driven life and it is too important not to. In 1983, John Sculley quit his post at PepsiCo to become the president of Apple Computer. He took a big risk leaving his prestigious position with a well established company to join ranks with an unproven little outfit that offered no guarantees, only the excitement of one man's transforming vision. When someone ...

1192. Close Up Parents: Be Cheerleaders, Not Jeer leaders

Colossians 3:21

Sermon

James Merritt

... limits too strict and standards that are too high. The Living Bible translates Colossians 3:21 this way. "Fathers don't scold your children so much that they become discouraged and quit trying." (Colossians 3:21, LB) Unfortunately, some parents are like the mother who sent her daughter upstairs with these instructions, "Go see what Sam is doing and tell him to quit it!" You want to give you children the freedom to soar like eagles, but not to fly wild like a plane without a pilot. The best way to do that is ...

1193. What Do I Do When My Prayers Go Unanswered?

Deuteronomy 3:1-11, 23-26

Sermon

James Merritt

... ." Let me assure you that if you have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ and you are walking with the Lord, you are never talking to a wall, though it may seem like it. Actually, I purposely gave my message a title that is not quite accurate, because the truth of the matter is - unless there is unconfessed sin in your life that somehow causes a roadblock to your prayers, God always answers prayer. Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty ...

1194. When I Grow Up

Ephesians 4:15

Sermon

James Merritt

... We are going to learn today that God uses three other things to make us become like Jesus that most of us never thought about and quite frankly, none of us like. It is how we respond to these three different elements that are a part of every life that determines whether or ... His will for your life. We can all relate to what the playwright, Oscar Wilde said, "I can resist anything except temptation." Quite frankly, part of his problem was, he was trying to resist it. Let me give you a tip about temptation that ...

1195. We Are At War

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

James Merritt

... want you to listen to this next statement. In your war, God wants you to be victorious. It is high time that many Christians quit blowing the retreat, and begin sounding the charge. There are too many Christians who are letting the devil take it to them when they ... of hearing about Robert E. Lee. You would think he was going to do a double somersault and land in our rear. I want you to quit thinking about what he is going to do to you, and I want you to start thinking about what you're going to do to him." ...

1196. To Catch a Thief

Exodus 20:15

Sermon

James Merritt

... under the law? If you are sitting there right now and you would be an honest thief (I know that is an oxymoron) and admit you have been stealing from God by not giving God His tithe, then I want to encourage you to start your tithing today and quit stealing today. The opposite of stealing is not simply - not stealing. The opposite of stealing is giving. The opposite of taking from others what you have not earned to satisfy your wants is to give to others what you have earned to meet their needs. That is why ...

1197. Israel: The World’s Invincible Nation

Jeremiah 23:2, 7-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... by night, who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (The Lord of hosts is His name): If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the Lord, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever." If the sun quits rising and the moon quits shining, and the waves of the sea roll no more, only then will Israel cease to exist. But Israel still has one problem. The Lord is still rejected, which leads me to one last statement. III. How God Will Save Israel In The Future "Behold, the ...

1198. It’s All About Him

John 4:19-24

Sermon

James Merritt

... talk about the church as being the house of God. In one sense the church is a house of God where people come together to worship, but quite frankly the church is not the house of God; your body is the house of God. Your body, twenty-four hours a day, is to be a ... said we should worship the Father "in truth." Now this means we are to worship the God of truth according to the truth of God. Quite frankly, there are a lot of people who worship a god of their own design that I do not find in the Bible. There is ...

1199. In God We Trust – Or Do We?

John 4:46-54

Sermon

James Merritt

... "In God We Trust" the national motto of the United States. In 1957, it was placed on all of our paper currency. Now quite frankly, I think there could be serious debate as to whether or not we really do trust in God anymore in this country. ... going to make it or not, wondering if we are going to fall on our face or not. Their attitude is, "I'll believe it when I see it." Quite frankly, I don't care whether they believe it or not and they will never see it. The reason why I believe with all of my heart that ...

1200. Dead Man Walking

John 11:38-44, John 11:17-37, John 11:1-16

Sermon

James Merritt

... been raised from the dead. He is telling everybody what Jesus had done for him and the Pharisees want to kill him. Do you think Lazarus was worried about their plan? Do you think he was afraid of dying? They looked at Lazarus and said, "If you don't quit witnessing for Christ you are going to die." Lazarus looked at them and said, "Been there. Done that. No big deal." Lazarus now knew that his significance and his security lay in the fact that God loved him so much he need no longer fear death because God ...

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