Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 101 to 125 of 538 results

101. Sixth Sunday After the Epiphany

Sermon

Russell F. Anderson

... is to obey the law because a person has internalized the command. A further progression in the ethical life is to go beyond the precept because the person has identified the intent of the law and incarnated these values into her life. For instance, such a person not only refrains from killing but sees greater value in every human being as a child of God and will do all that she can to help rather than hurt. Such a state of being could be called living in love. As Paul said, "Love does no wrong to a neighbor ...

102. Transfiguration

2 Peter 1:12-21, Daniel 7:1-14, Exodus 24:1-18, Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... 40 days and nights, receiving the commandments of the Lord. One would think that God could have expedited the matter more quickly, but the Lord doesn't operate on our timetable. Being God gives him the wisdom and the power to speak or not, to act or refrain from acting. The important factor is that we are willing to watch, as we wait on the Lord, and that we be in the place where God instructs us to be. Isaiah expresses this thought best: "He who waits upon the Lord will renew his strength ..." (Isaiah 40 ...

103. Are You Convinced?

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Larry Powell

... he warmed to his subject. "Sin," he insisted, "is that abominable thing that God hates." There would be no mistaking the burden he carried on his heart for the redemption of sinners. Once, a leading layperson in his congregation came to him and requested that he refrain from using the word "sin." The lay-person reasoned, "We wish you would not speak so plainly about sin. Our youth and children hearing you will be more than likely to indulge in sin if you keep referring to it. Call it something else, such as ...

104. Being Single-minded

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... as the way, the truth, and the life we have, at least, an elementary understanding of the price we must pay. Also, by the grace of God, we have a built-in resource that refuses to be defeated. We don't always like what we are doing or refraining from doing but that is mostly irrelevant! One's salvation is the most highly valued possession we have. It is who and what we are. To some extent, everyone has salvation or a set of beliefs and behavior patterns that manifest themselves. Even the cold and committed ...

105. A Burden or a Song

Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

James McCormick

... , say our prayers, tithe our incomes, love our enemies, serve our neighbors, give to those in need, go the second mile, turn the other cheek, and on and on it goes. We’re supposed to do all of those things, and more, smiling all the while, while refraining from lying, cheating, stealing, swearing, and being unkind to children, pets, and mothers-in-law! I get tired just thinking about it all! It’s a heavy weight to carry! And woe be to us if we mess up! With that picture of the Christian life in mind ...

106. I Want My Dollar Back!

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... . So I guess it worked. I heard about one rural pastor who used a different approach. One Sunday he announced, “Now, before we pass the collection plate, I would like to request that the person who stole the chickens from Farmer Jones’ henhouse please refrain from giving any money to the Lord today. The Lord doesn’t want money from a thief!” The collection plate was passed around, and for the first time in months everybody gave. That approach might work, but stealing chickens is not a big problem ...

107. Abram and Lot Separate

Genesis 13:1-18

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... , Lot took the opportunity to separate from Abram and quickly chose the area in the Arabah. His experiences in Egypt might have awakened in him a desire to live in a lush, affluent urban environment. Some traits of his personality, evidenced in his decision to refrain from showing more honor to his uncle, cast a shadow over his character and prepare the reader for the troubles Lot is to face. The narrator points ahead to Lot’s fate by mentioning Zoar, the city to which Lot flees in escaping from the ...

108. Naaman Healed of Leprosy

2 Kings 5:1-27

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... to provide for, v. 22). It is a clever ploy, for the amount requested is not excessive in relation to the massive sum Naaman was originally prepared to pay (v. 5)—one talent of silver and two sets of clothing out of ten. Refraining from asking too much (and particularly from asking for any gold), he is unlikely to arouse suspicion. And so it proves. Unsuspecting Naaman gladly divests himself of his goods. Presumably Gehazi has calculated that Elisha will not be aware of what has happened. He knows ...

109. How It All Began

Luke 2:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... significant event after all. Sometimes big things happen in small places. But, even Lincoln’s birth pales dramatically in comparison to the birth of the Son of God. Nevertheless, at the time, most of the residents of Bethlehem would echo that refrain from Hodgenville: “nothing ever happens out here.” However, something did happen in Bethlehem. The entire world was forever changed. So our story begins with this young family seeking shelter in a stable and a baby being born who would change the destiny ...

110. Proper 15

Hebrews 12:1-13, Luke 12:54-59, Luke 12:49-53, Psalm 82:1-8, Jeremiah 20:7-18, Jeremiah 23:9-32, Jeremiah 38:1-13

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... ; they wanted to get rid of him, kill him. They were satisfied with themselves - self-righteous - and life as they had shaped it. 2. Jeremiah knew the threat to his wellbeing, even to his life, but, like Jesus who came later, he could not refrain from preaching and prophesying about the fate of the city of Jerusalem. He almost talked himself to death! Jesus did, too! 3. Jeremiah and Jesus, when faced with death, were different; Jeremiah called for God to take "thy vengeance upon them (for their sin)," while ...

111. Song of an Evangelist

Psalm 103:1-22

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

The author of the One hundred and third Psalm is an evangelist who cannot refrain from telling the world of God’s goodness to him. Indeed, he is fairly bursting with joy at the very thought of witnessing to what the Lord has done. He is so filled with the spirit of praise and thanksgiving, in fact, that his song flows from his lips in an ...

112. On Doing Beautiful Things

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... beyond its means and gives itself away in self-abandonment for the beloved. Love sees that there are things which the chance to do comes only once. One of the tragedies of life is when we are tempted to do something beautiful, and restrain ourselves, and refrain from doing it. We have second thoughts. The impulse to send a letter to someone to thank them for something they have done which has enriched our lives, the impulse to tell someone how much we love them, and how much they mean to us, the impulse ...

113. What to Do When Life Is the Pits

1 Peter 5:5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... our every step, looking for any way to hurt us, harm us, and destroy us; and also has given us the remedy on how to defeat him. a. Be Serious About The Devil's Reality First of all, he says, "Be sober." The word sober does not simply mean to refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages. It means to be serious. You had better take the devil seriously. He is not some little man on a can of potted meat with a pitchfork, two horns, and a fork tail. He is real and he is powerful; he is powerfully real and really ...

114. Obedience: Our Gift to Jesus

Hebrews 10:5-10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... learn an important lesson, similar to that which Matthew’s father, somewhat accidentally, taught his son. The father thought Matthew would learn obedience as a result of the punishment he received for his failures to follow the older man's exhortation to refrain from stealing. But the boy learned the lesson more profoundly by how his action hurt his father. Similarly, the author of Hebrews tells us that outward actions of sacrifice and cereal offerings, which were so common to the Israelites in the desert ...

115. When God Does Something New

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Argile Smith

... . The Monday night prayer group of a few people grew. One night a crowd of 70,000 people gathered and engaged in a non-violent demonstration. It came to be called the Monday Demonstration on October 9. Pastor Fuhrer urged the people to refrain from violence at the demonstration. Prior to that night, the police had brutalized and threatened the participants who attended the prayer meeting. However, by that time of the October 9 meeting, the police didn’t stop it, probably because they couldn’t or perhaps ...

116. The Day of the Lord

Malachi 4:1-6

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... Joshua and Kings also each report one instance of obedience specifically to “the Law of Moses.” Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal “according to what was written in the Book of the Law of Moses” (Josh. 8:31–32; Deut. 27:1–8), and Amaziah refrained from executing the sons of the men who had assassinated his father because the Book of the Law of Moses forbade this (2 Kgs. 14:6; Deut. 24:16). Josiah, however, is the one leader of whom it is written that he “turned to the LORD . . . in accordance ...

117. Jonah’s Second Commission and Nineveh’s Response

Jonah 3:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Assyrian practice sought to divert divine wrath through rituals. The king carefully phrases his words, acknowledging that God is free to act despite the nation’s repentance, yet affirming the possibility that God could “turn” or “relent” (shub) and refrain from judgment (3:9). 3:10 · The Lord relents from judgment: Significantly, the Lord recognizes not the outward expression of Nineveh’s contrition but the city’s willingness to renounce wickedness and evil (3:10). In his great compassion ...

118. The Sacred Other

Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. The servant of God, those called by God's name, will not be loud and pushy; they will protect all life, even fragile, insignificant-appearing life, as an act of obedience and love for the Creator of all life. I will refrain from dumping all that is in my heart on this matter, for it is not necessarily edifying to hear what we all already know. But let me say this much. I long for gentleness in our society. I long for the day when children and youth will not ...

119. Week Of Ash Wednesday

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to a new form of prayer. The challenge is to make certain that we spend sufficient time with our God. Thirdly, Jesus suggests that we need to fast. Catholics have special "fast" days built into the liturgical calendar, like today and Good Friday. Catholics are asked to refrain from eating meat on Fridays. While Protestants have no fast days as such, fasting can be so much more if we try. If we give up some food item, if we choose to skip a couple of meals per week -- can we then spend the time and/or ...

120. Proper 25

Lk 18:9-14 · 2 Tim 4:9-18 · Sirach 35:12-18 · Deut 10:12-22 · Zeph 3:1-9

Sermon Aid

... death be an acceptable gift to God? 2. A ward (v. 8). Paul looks forward to receiving an award from God in terms of a victor's crown of righteousness or of acceptance by God. Is it right to expect a reward in heaven? For some years now we have refrained from giving awards to children for perfect attendance or for memory work in the church school. The argument is that we ought to do good for God's sake and not for an award. Maybe we ought to re-think this. Today we award a trophy to those who win athletic ...

121. Aiming at Perfection

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... to America with this charge: "Spread scriptural holiness across the land." Holiness for Wesley had personal and social connotations. Wesley said, "The gospel of Christ knows no religion but social; no holiness but social." Yes, it is important to refrain from foul language, lewd jokes, and pornographic magazines. But it is also important to have a holy city, a city with good schools, fair taxation policies, and excellent housing assistance. A city without sexually oriented businesses, a city that chooses ...

122. Easter Turns ONLY into ALSO

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... Christians" (11:26 RSV). These people acknowledged openly to one another that they belonged to Christ. Moreover, among the followers of Caesar and the paganism and immoralities of the cities of that day, they moved and lived as examples of goodness, not just refraining from evil but exercising positively a life of love. "Love one another as I have loved you" was their Master’s command, and their strange loyalty to him broke the bonds of exclusiveness and fired their burning intention to win the world for ...

123. The Terrible Burden Of Judging Others

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

King Duncan

... ?" asked pastor Clot. "Well," said the man, "I don't like the hymns that the song leader picks out. I wish you would tell him to pick more of the old ones." Obviously the man was not aware of the mixed message. He wanted the pastor to refrain from telling lay people how to do their jobs, but he wanted the pastor to tell the song leader which songs to sing. People are amazing. Perhaps we ought to install an answering machine in the church like one I heard about in a major department store. It answered ...

124. The Lions Are Shackled

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

King Duncan

... about crime and morality. “I would like to say from this cross that I’m disgusted that our senior citizens cannot walk through the streets of the cities they helped to build without being robbed and raped,” he said. “I’m asking you here today to refrain from all crime.” We may question this pastor’s judgment, but it was a rather dramatic way to get his point across. In a related story, a man in Brazil hiked the width of that large country bearing a heavy wooden cross on his back. This was ...

125. What about Laws and Rules?

Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... basic, core relationships of our life. God did not create us to live alone, but together. We must do nothing to undermine or sabotage those relationships. But we know that there are fathers and mothers who don’t deserve to be honored. And we know that refraining from adultery doesn’t guarantee a marriage in which there is the love of Christ. Do not kill. The spirit of this commandment is the fundamental conviction that life is sacred. It is a gift. The Giver has loaned it to us. Our stewardship of it is ...

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