Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1226 to 1250 of 1354 results

1226. A Mystery

John 16:12-15

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

... in the Holy Spirit is that we often try to see the Spirit as something separate from the Father and the Son. The Spirit is simply God’s way of working in the world since Jesus’ ascension to the Father. The Spirit is an advocate who will defend us, teach us, renew us, and unite us. The third person of the Trinity works through our minds as well as through our emotions. The Spirit is certainly present in ecstatic prayers, faith healing, and speaking in tongues but is also evident in thoughtful Bible study ...

1227. The Trajectory of God’s Grace

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

... the night in my room. Instead, I spent the evening alone and miserable. My mom taught me a valuable lesson that night about responsibility and grace — someday I may forgive her for that! In the first sermon of this series, I told you that the Holy Spirit defends, teaches, motivates, uplifts, and unites us. I experienced the first two of these roles in the two incidences I’ve just related. A black, furry coat may not look like a suit of armor, but it served just as well when I needed it. And the Spirit ...

1228. Joseph, When Did You Know?

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Each poster bore the crown of King George VI and a simple message in white typeface against a solid color background. The first poster read: Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory. The second poster read: Freedom Is In Peril. Defend It With All Your Might. These posters were plastered all over Great Britain as powerful reminders to the British people that they may not be able to control the circumstances around them, but they could choose how they responded. A third poster ...

1229. If I Had Been There

Jn 20:1-18; Mk 15:21-32

Illustration

Brett Blair

... baptism when the Passion was read in church a third time, and the king remarked, “If I had been there, I’d have climbed up on the cross next to him.” Now, the slow conversion in understanding our Lord's Passion went form 1) I would have defended Christ - a military approach 2) I would have tended to his mother - a sympathetic approach 3) I would have climbed on the cross next to him - empathy. Might I suggest that empathy is not enough. The king of France was still not ready. The King needed to take ...

1230. Know Jesus--No Peace

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

George Reed

... with them about the really important issues in life. We need to take a stand. Jesus still calls his disciples to follow, sometimes, right to Jerusalem and the very seat of power. Whatever authority brings oppression to those who are least able to defend themselves, Jesus marches to face them and he calls us to go with him. Whether it is religious folk sitting in judgment on others or government officials loading unfair tax burdens on the poor, it is still oppression. Whether it is government officials ...

1231. Lord of the Sabbath

Luke 5:33-39, Luke 6:1-11, Luke 7:18-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... so strange. Jesus needs John however. The two of them echo Isaiah’s prophecy. John baptizes and calls for repentance, and he validates the coming Messiah. Jesus’ ministry is linked to John’s, and Jesus emphasizes that in his response to the Pharisees, defending John as well as himself, asserting them once again as an inseparable “duo” bound together by scripture and prophecy. Jesus and John are an interesting pair. We get the sense that they are nearly opposites. John’s life is one of fasting ...

1232. The Sweet Fragrance of Brokenness

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... and culminates in Judas Iscariot’s decision to betray Jesus. Matthew tells us it was an alabaster jar of expensive ointment, and that she poured it over Jesus’ head as he sat at the table. Rebuking his disciples’ anger at the waste of perfume, Jesus defends the woman, saying she is preparing him for his burial. Mark tells a similar story, revealing that the ointment was nard (or spikenard). Mark also confirms that the event occurred in Bethany at the home of Simon the Leper. John adds that the supper ...

1233. Soul Food

Luke 9:10-17, Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, John 6:1-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... went to heal his wounds must have felt something like the “desert” of his soul at that time. Not only was his ministry rooted in John’s, with many of his disciples coming from John’s circles. But John was his first cousin. We see in the Scriptures how Jesus defends John’s ministry, his habits and his oddities. In more than one way, Jesus is close to John. And his head on a platter is a blow. It’s probably a blow too, because it’s an omen of his own fate. John didn’t push the envelope half as ...

1234. Syrophoenician Lives Matter!

Mark 7:24-30, Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Lord; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down— those who with a word make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice. Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the descendants of Jacob: “No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will their faces grow pale. When they see among them their children ...

1235. Lost

Luke 15:1-7, Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ” who have not behaved well in God’s eyes. The Pharisees may have been self-righteous, but they weren’t stupid. They knew the scriptures, and they knew exactly what Jesus was saying. And Jesus had embarrassed them in front of those “sinners” Jesus was defending. They had been misled. Perhaps they had made wrong decisions. They had strayed from the path, the sheep fold, God’s presence in one way or another. But like the driver who took the wrong road and ended up in a barren field, Jesus tells ...

1236. Fleeced

Judges 6:1-40, John 20:24-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... pole beside it.” But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.” Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the ...

1237. The Healer

Matthew 4:23-25, Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Unable Due to God’s Spirit (1 Samuel 19) David’s Pride and Persecution of Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11-12) King Uzziah’s Pride and Anger (2 Chronicles 26) Psalm 2: The Lord Has Installed His Son Psalm 72: The Royal Son Will Defend the Afflicted Psalm 103: The Lord Heals and Redeems Psalm 112: Blessed are the Righteous God Will Pour Out His Spirit Upon His Chosen One (Isaiah 42) The Healing of the Nations Jew and Gentile (Ezekiel 47) The Conversion of Gentiles (Acts 15) [Optional Scriptures: Elijah ...

1238. The Curse of the Tongue

James 3:1-12, James 3:13-18, 2 Timothy 2:14-26, Psalm 34:1-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in front of the only bar in town. She emphatically told Howard and many others that everyone knew exactly what he was doing. Howard, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment, saying nothing, and then turned and walked away. He didn’t defend himself, didn’t protest, or explain, or deny. He just simply said nothing. Later that night, Howard parked his car in front of Mildred’s house --and left it there all night. If the rumor had been allowed to fester, Mildred could have severely damaged those ...

1239. A Piggy Pudding

Matthew 8:28-34

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... cross the Rubicon with Jesus in order to deepen your faith. Maybe it means, you will help someone in need and show them Jesus’ power of healing and forgiveness. Maybe it means, you will pray with someone who has never prayed before. Maybe it means, you will defend that person being teased on the playground and comfort them with knowing Jesus. Maybe it means, you will be sent into a place, as many Christians now are, in which you will need the power of Jesus for changing the hearts of others. But no matter ...

1240. Are You a Lemming or a Lassie?

Luke 12:13-21, Luke 12:22-34, Luke 12:35-48, Luke 12:49-53, Luke 12:54-59

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a ...

1241. Surely, Surely

Luke 1:1-4, Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of you have served as jurors already? OK: How many of you have watched a court drama, or one of the many crime shows on television today? Either way, you know that an eye or ear witness is a key contributor to the case made either for or against a defendant. “I SAW her on the night of September 20th. I was WITH her. She was there.” That’s known as an alibi. An alibi frees someone from being considered as a perpetrator, if it can be proven that that person was not there, but was somewhere else. An eye ...

1242. Peter the Petulant

Mark 14:1-11, Mark 14:12-26, Mark 14:27-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... petulance, and an impetuousness that sometimes got in the way of his ability to follow. “Get behind me you tempter!” Jesus would command Peter when he thought Jesus should take the easier way. “Put away your sword!” admonished Jesus when Peter attempted to defend him in the Garden of Gethsemane by slicing off the ear of one of his accusers. “Have faith!” encouraged Jesus as Peter faltered on the water. “Stand down!” in a sense is what Jesus said now, as once again Peter challenged his master ...

1243. Pilate's Ruse

Matthew 27:1-26 · Luke 22:66--23:25 · John 18:28-40; 19:1-16 · Mark 15:1-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... had assembled on Mount Gerizim to dig for some sacred vessels which an impostor had led them to believe Moses had buried there. Concerning this massacre the Samaritans lodged a complaint with Vitellius, legate of Syria, who ordered Pilate to repair to Rome to defend himself.” No, Pilate was not your nice guy. He didn’t “wash his hands” because he didn’t want to execute an innocent man. Pilate couldn’t care less about “innocence.” In fact, when he does hand over Jesus to his soldiers, they ...

1244. Knitted Together from the Womb

Exodus 2:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... are faced with a now or never decision! A toddler walks in front of a car –and a stander by leaps in front and pushes the child to safety. An intruder enters a home and threatens a family, and a mother, known for her meekness, becomes a ferocious tiger, defending her children. Or in the case of the movie some of you may have seen about Sergeant Doss, this soldier, pledged to non-violence, risks his own life to save hundreds of his brothers on the field, by going into the line of fire and dragging them to ...

1245. Lion of Judah

Gen 49:1-28, Judges 13-15, Matt 4:12-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... but is Unable Due to God’s Spirit (1 Samuel 19) David’s Pride and Persecution of Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11-12) King Uzziah’s Pride and Anger (2 Chronicles 26) Psalm 2: The Lord Has Installed His Son Psalm 72: The Royal Son Will Defend the Afflicted Psalm 103: The Lord Heals and Redeems Psalm 112: Blessed are the Righteous God Will Pour Out His Spirit Upon His Chosen One (Isaiah 42) The Healing of the Nations Jew and Gentile (Ezekiel 47) Luke’s Witness to the Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry and ...

1246. Wild Thing

Luke 4:31-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... until we find ourselves infected with that evil kind of spirit that would deny Jesus access. But Jesus is victorious over any kind of evil, any kind of spiritual viruses that would call us away from the love and mercy of God. Jesus is our protector, and our defender, and our healer from all ills of the world that would seek to destroy us. Jesus IS our balm of Gilead. But Jesus is also our wild and viral evil-buster! Remember when Jesus overturned those tables in the Temple? That’s some wild and viral evil ...

1247. Vendetta

2 Kings 1:1-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the irony of this kind of baalzebub or baalzubul spirit in his dealings with Pharisees when he speaks in the synagogue in Nazareth. They accuse him of healing others by way of using powers that come from an evil source or from a foreign god. Jesus firmly defends himself from this accusation, noting that no one can do good by means of evil. If he were wielding the power of Baalzubul, he would not be doing the healing he was doing. Likewise, he hurls the accusation back at them, noting that a “divided house ...

1248. Shepherd Dreams

Jeremiah 23:1-8, 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Psalm 80:1-19, Psalm 23:1-6, John 10:22-42, John 10:1-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... (remember those 5 smooth stones David plucked from the living waters?) and wearing the “armor of God” –the shepherd’s invisible cloak so to speak, that kind of “robe of righteousness and trust” in the Lord that kept them confident and sure that they could defend their charges against any and all threats. A Good and Godly Shepherd trusted God’s empowerment to do whatever needed to be done in whatever the circumstance. That’s some kind of faith! I don’t know about you, but if I see a bear ...

1249. Fake News vs. Fantastic Good News

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... died, it was suggested. Or perhaps robbers stole his body. The rumors became so persistent and intense that in 1887, officials exhumed his coffin to ensure that Lincoln’s body was actually in it. Afterwards, they sealed the casket with a lead lining to defend against future crazy rumors. But even that wasn’t enough to put the rumor mill out of business. Fourteen years later, officials had to dig up Lincoln’s coffin one more time to fight off rumors that he was alive. Afterwards, the coffin was ...

1250. Would You Like to Live Forever?

John 10:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... fed up with the Pharisees, the religious scholars. He believes that their focus on rules and religious traditions is leading people away from God, and away from what really matters in life. And Jesus tells them a story of a good and caring shepherd who has to defend his sheep against thieves and robbers. Verse 10 is the key verse we are focusing on today. Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” In the New Testament ...

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