Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1201 to 1225 of 4999 results

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... else, try looking here.” (2) I agree with the person who said, “Those who keep an orderly desk never know the thrill of finding something they thought was irretrievably lost.” Personal discipline is one of the keys to success in life. But that’s not the kind of discipline the writer of Hebrews is talking about. He is using the word discipline much as we might when we say “we discipline our children.” We could have some fun right now if we stopped for a moment and shared with our neighbor how we ...

1202. The Witness of Being

Genesis 1:1—2:4a

Sermon

James L. Killen

... complicated than it needs to be. The doctrine of the Trinity simply means that God keeps reaching out to us to lead us into the kind of relationship with God that we need. God makes God's self known to us as the Father, one who gives being and lives in ... us every moment of every day, living in a relationship with us that can shape our lives if we will let it. We all need that kind of a complete relationship with God. Most of us are still trying to find our ways into it. Sometimes we feel closer to God and ...

1203. The Way to Happy Endings

Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67

Sermon

James L. Killen

... the lives of people to accomplish God's good purpose. Of course, most of us know better than to try to turn God into some kind of a Santa Claus who will grant our every wish. A number of years ago, there was a song that had the singer praying, "Oh, ... which we can do that is to study the Bible. The Bible is an accumulation of witnesses given by people who had different kinds of interactions with God. They tell what they have learned about God through their own experiences. They intend to lead us into our own ...

1204. Expectancy

Romans 13:11-14

Sermon

James L. Killen

... into a new adventure that Paul would have called "the life of the spirit." God always has more to offer to us as soon as we are ready to receive it -- and as soon as we are ready to work with God to reach out for it. There is a kind of spiritual retreat that is called a Crusseo or a Walk to Emmaus that has been a very meaningful experience to many people. At the end of those retreats, the participants are invited to share any reflections they may want to share with the group. Quite often, people in that ...

1205. A Gift for You

Romans 1:1-7

Sermon

James L. Killen

... us to be committed to a purpose bigger than our own little purposes. It requires us to intentionally invest our lives in accomplishing the purpose of God for us and for the whole creation. That is a big requirement. Some of us are not willing to make that kind of commitment. We are so caught up in the little commitments of our little lives that we can't see any other calling as anything but an imposition. A pastor was talking with a man about becoming a Christian. The man said, "Preacher, I don't know about ...

1206. The Incarnation: What and Why?

Hebrews 2:10-18

Sermon

James L. Killen

... it can be done. Like the track coach in the parable, he ran the obstacle course that is set before us to show us how to do it and to show us that we can do it. He was "in every respect tested as we are, yet without sin." What kind of life is this that he lived to set an example for us? It was a life of faithfulness to the purpose of God. "Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was 'faithful in all God's ...

1207. Slaves of a Different Master

Romans 6:12-23

Sermon

William G. Carter

... Everybody answers to the bottom line. If the bottom line is not high enough, somebody has to go. In the last few years, we have had all kinds of revelations about that, but it's not news to anyone. I have a friend who is a slave to Budweiser. If he doesn't have a ... whole lot of trouble. The power of sin is so pervasive that it can take and twist our best impulses into something foul. There are so many kinds of sin that work on us and bind us. It's hard to be free for all of it. But it's possible. In a few ...

1208. Family Matters

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... the Lord is with you. And also with you. If you believe that God is with us, working among us, then you ought to move into conflict situations with humility, because you don't know everything, committed to listen, because the bible tells you God uses all kinds of voices to speak to you, expecting that God is there to overcome the separation. Because God's work in the world is reconciliation. He is at work among you. In the fifteenth chapter of Acts there is a wonderful illustration of this. The scene is the ...

1209. If You Look Like Your Passport Photo

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... , Sand and Stars. In it he drew an analogy between flying and the human spirit. He said, that is what we are born for. Our spirits should fly, be free, soar, take risks, and achieve great heights. That is what we are born for. He said he experienced that kind of spiritual exhilaration as he flew, especially at night, over the deserts of Africa. When he came back to France, he took a train up to Paris, and sat opposite an old peasant couple in one of the compartments. He said he was shocked at what he saw ...

1210. The Time of Waiting Is Over

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... anxious about our existence, we are fearful that the foundation of our life, that which we depend upon for our existence, will not support us. Mark begins with the announcement at the beginning of his gospel that Jesus has come in order to free us from that kind of bondage to fear. "The time of waiting is over, the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe this good news." Immediately following that announcement in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus goes to work battling the demons of this world. If you were to ...

1211. In the Darkness of Suffering, There Is the Light of Life

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... his Gospel, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Saint John is giving us the conclusion of the story he is writing at the beginning. He is telling us ahead of time how it turns out. Jesus had already defeated the worst kind of darkness — the darkness of death. God’s answer to death was resurrection. Before I read the book, The Horse Whisperer, I saw the movie. I went into a bookstore and read the last few pages to see if the book ended the same way the movie did ...

1212. In The Darkness of Oppression, There Is the Light of Salvation

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... the man told him, “Good luck. Have a fine Christmas. Good luck.” As the plane pulled away, there was a glow in the hearts of all who had seen what had taken place.3 What if this Christmas you and I could open up a place for the Savior? What kind of glow might burn in us if we could open our lives to the light of the Savior’s birth? Won’t you give him a place? Welcome him graciously into the place where you live. 1.Joseph F. Girzone, Joshua (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1983), p. 67. 2 ...

1213. Proper 10

Genesis 25:19-34, Isaiah 55:1-13, Romans 8:1-17, Romans 8:18-27, Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... sower, seed, and soil. Apparently no fault can be found with the sower (Jesus), nor with the seed (Word). The problem is with the soil, the hearer. Only the good soil brings a harvest. That may be the situation, but what can be done about the three kinds of soil that do not produce? The parable has nothing to say about this problem. It is simply stating a fact of reality. The preacher needs to be concerned about making good listeners out of his congregation. 3. All (v. 9). "He who has ears...." Who does ...

1214. Kairos Commitments

Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... , available to all of us, is the providential call, the ministry given to us through our unique talents and abilities. It is by doing what we do best that we honor and serve God, whether it is within the church or out there in the world. The third kind of call is the secret call, that private, personal connection with God's Spirit that is offered to all of us but recognized by only some of us, that kairos moment, when God's need and our willingness meet in an electric moment of commitment. Finally, there is ...

1215. Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired?

Matthew 9:35-10:8

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... ." Here, we are told to seek spiritual assistance in our afflictions. Here, we are told to call for the church authorities. Pray for yourself, sure! But call for the elders as well. I've noticed what people are accustomed to doing when they become ill. It's a kind of game they seem to be playing. Some creep off to the hospital very quietly. They don't want anyone to know about it. Others shut themselves up in their home and quietly put the elders to the test. "How long will it take them to miss me?" they ...

1216. A Life Well Lived

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

King Duncan

... all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self‑seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes ...

1217. Don't Be a Turkey (Thanksgiving)

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Alex Gondola

... that we can go home to warm, comfortable houses or apartments and don’t have to sleep in a shelter or on a heating grate in the sidewalk of some city street. Some of our blessings ought to be completely obvious. Maybe other blessings require another kind of "seeing" because they’re more subtle. Can we thank God this Thanksgiving not only for the good things that happened, but also for the bad things that didn’t happen? The problems and disasters we worried about which did not come about? Can we look ...

1218. I'm a Chunk of Coal, but I'm Gonna Be a Diamond

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... coalesce in making a great gemstone. Today's text from Jeremiah, the "call" of this prophet, tells of the transformation of a small, unremarkable boy into a dynamic, authoritative voice of the Lord through these 4 Cs. 1) Cut Every gem has to be cut into some kind of shape: pear, oval, triangle, square, trapezoid, etc. But a stone that hasn't been cut and shaped remains just that – a stone. Have you been willing to be cut? Many years ago a phrase made the rounds: "No pain, no gain." It's a profound truth ...

1219. The Real Winning Attitude

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ages 6-17 in the U.S., 74% of these kids participate in at least one of the eighteen different team sorts available to them ("Who's the Child?" American Demographics 23 (August 2001,15.) That is a tremendous number of children who will be affected by the kind of winning attitude we try to nurture within them. Sadly in this case it seems all too true that kids are learning by what we DO, not by what we say. And the more seemingly important and admired the "doer" the more damage that is done. „h When ...

1220. Can You Smell the Perfume?

John 12:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they scolded her. But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could: she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in ...

1221. DodgeGod

Amos 8:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... late Dr. Clarence Edward Macartney, of First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, Pa, used to make the distinction between God functioning THROUGH you and IN you. God's will wants to be done through you. But God's grace also wants to work in you. There are different kinds of pain in each. Are you willing to will God's will, through you and in you? Third, Amos didn't have a message anyone wanted to hear. And there were many who didn't understand much less like his message. A grandmother was constantly trying ...

1222. Patience

James 5:7-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... asks Pliskin. The expert on self‑improvement explained that the exercise was partially for the sage’s own benefit. Each and every time he repeated an idea the sage was building up his own ability to be patient. (3) Wow! Most of us have not reached that kind of spiritual or emotional maturity. We’re more like the old saw, “I want patience and I want it right now!” We need to see that patience is a success tool. If you are too impatient in your professional life, you will make more than your share ...

1223. Make Room for Mystery

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

James McCormick

... something which is irrational, contrary to reason, but something which is supra-rational, going beyond reason. I have no respect for that kind of religion which seems to say that the more irrational things you can believe, the more favor you gain with God. No ... ’ll go with you as far as reason can take us. We ought to do that, because it’s important. I want to live in that kind of rational world. I want to do my intellectual homework. But I hope you will understand when I say that I also want to live in ...

1224. Nothing but Christ, and Him Crucified

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

James McCormick

... volunteer tennis coach, so I spent a lot of time with him. He was somewhat crippled with arthritis so that he walked with a kind of shuffle. He was balding and brilliant. (I have always thought those two go together.) He knew everything there was to know about English ... said, “Well, it would be nice if such a life could work out. It is a beautiful dream. But it just won’t work in our kind of world. Jesus tried it and you see where it got him. It got him dead!” That’s what we would have thought if the ...

1225. The Counter Intelligence of the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... back end of your vehicle. This is one of the hardest things for us to learn because a “modern,” Western mindset typically focuses on the logical, sequential, deductive, either-or thinking, on “lines of reasoning” as evidence of clear-headed minds. And doing this kind of thinking while in a tail-spin or skidding down the highway can get your car crashed or your body killed. You can feel our Western bias against two contradictory ideas coming together in both-and fashion by the silly-sounding names we ...

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