Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 101 to 125 of 200 results

John 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, 1 John 4:7-19

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A young man went to get a picture of his girl friend picture duplicated. It had to be removed from the frame. In doing so, he noticed an inscription on the back of the photo written by his girlfriend: "My dearest Tommy: I love you with all my heart. I love you more and more each day. I will love you forever and ever. ...

102. The Same Sermon

John 16:12-15; Matt 26:24

Illustration

Jef Olson

... for a slave will either hate the one and love the other. You cannot serve God and Money. Everyone loved it. The next Sunday she preached the very same sermon. The people were perplexed but since it was a fine sermon no one spoke to him of the duplication. The next week he preached the sermon again. After the service the Chairpersons of the Personnel and Worship ministry teams came to the pastor and asked him why he was preaching the same sermon over and over again. The pastor said, "When we start doing what ...

103. Wrestling Alone at Night

Genesis 32:22-30

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Suddenly in the night, someone seizes Jacob from behind, and slams him to the ground in a bitter struggle for life. Harold Kushner says this stranger in the night is none other than the conscience of Jacob calling him to accountability. A life of deceit, denial, and duplicity is finally doing him in. Here, alone on the muddy banks of the Jabbok River, he has to face himself. A tractor-trailer rig got hung under an overpass. A large crowd gathered around to watch the driver try to get out. He put the truck ...

104. A Match Made in Heaven

Genesis 29:15-28

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... heel constantly grabbed, he did not revert to his old ways. He was honest with God about who he was (Genesis 32:27; cf Genesis 27:19-24). He was genuine and humble with Esau in their reunion (Genesis 33:1-11). And, he was properly troubled by shrewdness and duplicity in his sons (Genesis 34:1-31; 49:3-7). We are naturally grateful to God when he gives us what we desire: our Rachel. We ought also to be grateful to God, however, when he gives us what we need: our Laban. Amen.

105. Caught in the Middle

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... of dishonesty and theft, were high-profile Evangelical Christians. They were active in their churches and generous to Christian causes; they had prayer groups and Bible studies in their offices. But, seemingly, they were not set apart enough to avoid the duplicity so rampant in some corporate culture. These individuals were clearly more than "Sunday morning Christians." I, at least, am not willing to label them hypocrites, but it does seem that their holiness had not invaded every facet of their lives. We ...

106. Righteous!

Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-31

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... and time God was gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, even though his people did not deserve it. He was a righteous God. He kept his word. There was nothing of which God had to be ashamed or embarrassed. There was no duplicity or fudging on the truth. God was righteous and faithful to his promises. Then, when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, Jesus of Nazareth. In him, once again the righteousness of God was manifest and revealed for all to see. Watch Jesus ...

107. Jesus the Toxicologist

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... plastic surgery, diet and exercise industries. The toxin of popularity — encouraging us to leave our own opinions and values behind in order to fit in, be cool, be accepted, be admired. The toxin of success — that can breed duplicity, back-stabbing, grandstanding, and brown-nosing. The toxin of pity. Some “intoxications” are even with failure. We validate our own feelings of worthlessness by undermining trust, backing out of commitments, avoiding real relationships, abandoning authentic feelings. We ...

108. Totally Poured Out

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... hesitation that he had held nothing back. He had given his all. That’s rare in this world. Dr. James W. Moore tells about a young college man who went into a photography studio one day. He had a framed picture of his girlfriend. He wanted the picture duplicated. This, of course, meant that the picture had to be taken out of the frame. In doing this, the studio owner noticed that there was an inscription on the back of the photograph. Here’s what it said, “My dearest Tom, I love you with all my heart ...

109. Trash Into Treasure

Matthew 13:24-46

Illustration

James Merritt

We have all heard of the Italian violin maker, Stradivarius. His violins are now the most prized violins ever made because of the rich and resonating sound they produce. The unique sound of a Stradivarius violin cannot be duplicated. Now what may surprise you is these precious instruments were not made from treasured pieces of wood; they were carved from discarded lumber. Stradivarius was very poor, and could not afford fine materials like his contemporaries. So he got most of his wood from the dirty ...

110. Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... up layers of flattery they offer about Jesus’ character suggests a studied smarminess. Matthew has already revealed that the Pharisees were trying to “entrap” Jesus. Thus any praises they might utter about him only serve to point up their duplicity. The questions they pose concerns the “poll” tax or “census” tax, which was levied against every adult Jew, man or woman, slave or free. The tax clearly differentiated the indigenous but now conquered Jews from their Roman rulers. The Pharisees ...

111. The Unfinished Symphony

Humor Illustration

... playing an unfinished symphony by Schubert: For considerable periods, the four oboe players had nothing to do. Their number should be reduced, and their work spread over the whole orchestra. Forty violins were playing identical notes. This seems unnecessary duplication, and this section should be drastically cut. If a larger volume of sound is required, this could be achieved through an electronic amplifier. Much effort was absorbed in the playing of demi/semi-quavers. This seems an excessive refinement ...

112. Show and Tell

Humor Illustration

... ," Linus answers, "I have a couple of things here to show the class." He then unfolds some papers. "These are copies I've been making of some of the Dead Sea scrolls," he says. Holding them up for Charlie Brown and Lucy to inspect, he continues. "This is a duplicate of the scroll of Isaiah, chapters 38-40. It was made from 17 pieces of sheep skin and was found in a cave by a Bedouin shepherd." Pulling out another piece of paper he says, "Here I have made a copy of the earliest known fragment ever found. It ...

113. Secret Sauce

Illustration

Staff

About the middle of the nineteenth century a distinguished English traveler, Lord Sandys, was served a fine sauce in a restaurant in Bombay, India. He took the recipe back to England and asked Lea and Perrins, famous makers of condiments, to duplicate it. They did their best, but when Lord Sandys tasted the sauce he found that it did not measure up to the quality of the sauce he had enjoyed in Bombay. After several tries, Lea and Perrins banished the sauce to a barrel in their cellar and forgot it. Some ...

114. Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... home in a tiny town like Bethlehem. They were wholly appropriate for a king, a deliverer, a divinely chosen one. The Magi’s final act is like all their other response: an obedient response to the miraculous. “Warned in a dream” of Herod’s duplicity, they risk inciting his wrath by reneging on their part of the bargain. Herod told them about Bethlehem, but they do not report their final destination to him. Instead, they blow him off. They return to their own lands, wherever that might have been ...

115. Prophesy Your Way Forward

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

116. Were You There?

John 19:17-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... as Judas was there. It scarcely seems possible that Peter would have so disappointed the Master. Peter was present every time Jesus performed a miracle or spoke a parable or communed with God. When Jesus walked on the water, it was Simon Peter who tried to duplicate the feat, but faltered and had to be rescued by Christ. Peter was there with James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration when Jesus was revealed once and for all as the chosen one of God. How could Simon Peter deny he ever knew him? Simon ...

117. The Call of God

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Jeremiah had a task, a vision, and a promise from God. The prophet Jeremiah had a call from God to preach his word to a people needing to hear from God. His call has been duplicated multiple times over the centuries. Moses, Samuel, Amos, Isaiah, and Ezekiel could point to a precise moment in their journey when God called them to be prophets ... ones who announced God's actions and words. Preaching, announcing God's presence, word, direction comes first from a person who has ...

118. One Thing

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

James Merritt

... your Bible through this year. We are asking all of us to do that together. If you will look in your worship guide you will see an insert [Pastor’s Note: a file containing an excellent one-year Bible reading plan is included with this sermon for you to duplicate and distribute.] with a Bible reading plan that will help you read the entire Bible in one year. I am absolutely convinced that the greatest single thing I do on a daily basis is to try and hear God speak to me through His Word. There is nothing ...

119. The Challenge to Forgive

Luke 7:36--8:3

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... that were expanded into this attention getting book. Throughout the book, Menninger observes that most Americans believe many things are tragically wrong and that there is a lot of sin and badness out there. Corruption and dishonesty are rampant, hypocrisy and duplicity abound, fraud and scam schemes are everywhere, our society is in deplorable moral disrepair, and on and on. But, says Dr. Menninger, despite all this societal breast-beating, no one ever admits to doing any wrong. People bemoaning the many ...

120. Ripples Through History

Illustration

Michael P. Green

At the base of the Tetons in Wyoming lies Jackson Lake. Sometimes, early in the morning when the lake is perfectly calm, the reflection of the Tetons is magnificently duplicated and mirrored on the lake’s surface. The interesting thing is that if you were to take one little flat stone and skip it across the surface of the lake, the image of the Tetons would be distorted and marred. In the same way, when Adam committed one sin, God’ ...

121. Final Greetings

Colossians 4:7-18

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... It does not appear unusual for Paul to request that his greetings in the Colossian letter be conveyed to a neighboring congregation. The same applies to the exchange of correspondence between the congregations at Colossae and Laodicea. Since Paul’s letters could not be duplicated and purchased by members, they were read aloud and, in this case, exchanged as well (cf. 1 Thess. 5:27). No one has been able to identify this epistle from Laodicea. Some have suggested that it may be the Epistle to the Ephesians ...

122. Trials and Temptations

James 1:1-18, James 1:19-27

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... verse is the Old Testament idea of doing the law (Deut. 28:53; 29:28; cf. 1 Macc. 2:16; Sirach 19:20). The teaching of Jesus was the new law for the Christian community (Rom. 8:2; 1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2). The saying itself can be duplicated in Jewish sources: “Not the expounding of the law is the chief thing but the doing of it” (m. Aboth 1:17) or “You ought not only to read the laws of Moses, but rather to practice what they command you” (Josephus, Antiquities 20.44). Jesus has a similar saying ...

123. Eastern Tribes Return Home

Joshua 22:1-34

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... of loving the Lord God, living as God would live, obediently following his standards, cementing oneself to him, and serving him with single-minded devotion. Christians need to follow Jesus with the same dedication. Verses 4, 6, and 7 contain some duplication. Joshua sends the eastern tribes to their tents three times and blesses them twice. The repetition strengthens Joshua’s statement that the eastern tribes have earned the right to leave Shiloh and go home. Joshua gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh ...

124. The Levites

1 Chronicles 23:1-6

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... seen as an indication that these interrupting lists were not added at the same time and by the same hands. Second, some scholars argue that certain lists are original but others belong to a secondary level. These scholars do not regard 28:1 as a duplicate of 23:2 but rather see it as a repetitive resumption of the narrative after some lists that were inserted by the Chronicler himself. A third position adopted by some scholars is the originality of all or almost all the lists. The main argument here ...

125. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 11:1-31

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... is an observation drawn from experience with many applications. The meaning of humility here is an honest evaluation of oneself, the avoidance of arrogance. For the assonance in verse 2a, see Additional Notes. 11:3 Antithetic. The contrast is between integrity and duplicity and their effects upon human beings. 11:4–6 Righteousness unites these sayings, all of which are antithetic. In verse 4, the day of wrath stands for any serious reversal, especially death. A proper use of wealth is implied, though not ...

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